Abstract
This study examines the media coverage of Kashmir issue in the wake of assassination of Burhan
Wani - a young Kashmiri freedom fighter. For this purpose, four widely circulated Pakistani
newspapers of English and Urdu language (i.e. Dawn, the News, Jang and Nawa-i-Waqt) have
been selected and their reportage for three continuous months has been examined. This
examination is conducted within the theoretical approach of peace journalism (Galtung, 1985;
2003) and framing (Goffman, 1974). Findings indicate that media remained inclined towards
war-oriented journalism and war-frames dominated the coverage as compared to peace-frames. In
comparison between English and Urdu media coverage, the contents of Urdu media were
carrying more war-frames as compared to English media. The study concludes that increased
war-oriented coverage might be attributed to the historical background and state policy towards
Kashmir issue, which seem difficult to be disregarded in reporting. Furthermore, since the
“objectivity” or “detachment” is considered to be foremost prerequisite of good journalism,
Pakistani media could not have avoided reporting violence and human rights violations that took
place in Kashmir.
Lubna Zaheer. (2016) War or Peace Journalism: Comparative analysis of Pakistan’s English and Urdu media coverage of Kashmir conflict, South Asian Studies, Volume 31, Issue 2.
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