SEARCH ARTICLE

10 Pages : 106-114

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2020(V-II).10      10.31703/gssr.2020(V-II).10      Published : Jun 2020

Exploring the Policies for Coverage of Minorities Issues in Pakistani Electronic Media

    Issues faced by the Christians of Punjab on various occasions have been reported by the media; however, they have been on the rise in recent years. Media organizations aim to provide coverage and address minorities issues, and also follow policies and procedures for better interest of all involved. This research paper attempts to look into the policies of electronic media organizations as well as the media regulatory body regarding coverage of issues faced by the Christians. In-depth interviews of officials in policymaking; four from media and two from the electronic media regulatory authority resulted that the authority has clear written policies for media content as to the coverage of minorities issues which is to avoid any coverage inciting hatred or fear among people. It also brings forth media’s unwritten policies and practices with regards to covering issues related to Pakistan Christian minority and priorities given to the coverage.

    Christians, Electronic Media, Media Coverage, Media Policy, Media Regulation, Pakistan, Religious Minorities.
    (1) Rachel Aruna Joshua
    PhD Scholar, Department of Mass Communication, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (2) Anjum Zia
    Professor, Department of Mass Communication, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

15 Pages : 139-149

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2021(VI-II).15      10.31703/gssr.2021(VI-II).15      Published : Jun 2021

Pakistani Press Towards Religious Minorities

    The study aims to explore the image of the media as portrayed in leading English Pakistani newspapers. The objectives of the study are to analyze the framing of news concerning the religious minorities in three national dailies of Pakistan to determine either the Pakistani press portrays the minorities image positively or negatively. Content analysis was performed on three leading English dailies, The Dawn, The News and Express Tribune, after random selection from January 01, 2016, to December 31, 2016. The front, back and editorial pages were the sample size of the study. The findings of the study showed that the media portrayed minorities in a positive manner; however, the newspapers focused more on controversial issues such as forced conversions, attacks on places of worship, violations of the right to freedom and other human rights. Softer issues such as Political and Economic Empowerment and Improved Legislation were not covered as frequently. The need of giving more space to the education and entertainment need of minorities and to inform the majority about the positive contributions of minorities has also been found out during the study.

    Pakistani Press, Religious Minorities, Press and Minorities, Press and Society, Minorities in Pakistan
    (1) Khalil Ahmad
    PhD Scholar, School of Media and Mass Communication (SMC), Beaconhouse National University (BNU), Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (2) Wajiha Raza Rizvi
    Associate Professor, School of Media and Mass Communication (SMC), Beaconhouse National University (BNU), Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.