Abstract
This study contextualizes Jurgen Habermas’ notion of public sphere in the presentation of political talk show on a private news channel in Pakistan. Private news channels in Pakistan, although seemingly independent and objective, reek of hidden agenda establishing their affiliations with some particular political party through their programs. They, no doubt, offer a platform to public to participate in discussions directly or indirectly but at the same time they are reluctant to violate those rules and regulations which are affirmed or imposed by the state. This research focuses on asingle talk show from a private news channel which is internationally recognized and scrutinizes the extent to which the principles essential for public sphere such as inclusion, deliberation and opinion formation are followed through it. The study utilizes a mixed method approach. Conversation analysis has been employed to evaluate how the afore-mentioned principles in the said talk show promote or obstruct the idea of public sphere. It has been observed that different conversational strategies like turn-taking, interruption and overlapping are adopted by the participants to support or challenge the state point of view. The research evaluates the communicative density of the space created for the people to share their views and exercise the freedom of speech

abassum Saba, , Nadia Anwar. (2017) The Political Dynamics of the Public Sphere: The Case of Local Pakistani Talk Show, The ELF Annual Research Journal, Volume 19, Issue 1.
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