PORTRAYAL OF WAR ON TERRORISM IN PAKISTANI PRINT MEDIA: EXPLORING PEACE FRAMING IN DAILY NATION AND BUSINESS RECORDER

The model of Peace Journalism of Johan Gatlung was applied to explore the peace framing of news coverage in two Pakistani leading English newspapers, the Nation and the Business Recorder. The media as a main organ of a modern state plays significant role in conflict resolution through their news reporting. Through its framing they build and amend the opinion of the people. The media in this way is a powerful tool to formulate the nation’s policy in the international communication. This study aims to find out the coverage pattern of “war on terror” by Pakistani print media in peace frame. The contents of 998 news stories from two leading Pakistani newspapers reveal that the news coverage of war on terror has dominated by peace journalism frame. Each story was coded for peace journalism as practiced and developed by Johan Gatlung. The three salient indicators of peace journalism observed are nonpartisan approach, a multiparty orientation and avoidance of demonizing language. Both the newspapers were remained objective and gave news in their full context. Most of the time their approach was conflict resolution instead conflict orientation. The period for the purpose of data collection is from March 2008 to March 2009, the peak time of covering the terrorists’ activities by these newspapers.