Media Conflict Resolution: Framing of the Govt-TTP Dialogue
in the Editorials of Nawa-i-Waqt and Jang newspapers
Ahsan Raza
Senior Journalist Dawn newspaper
Hassan Shehzad
Department of Media and Communication Studies, International Islamic University,
Dr. Salma Umber
Mass Communication Department, Government College University, Faisalabad
Abstract
Every newspaper dedicates space called editorial to put up its official stance on some topic. Contrary to objectivity being minded in news stories, an editorial either endorses or rejects an issue with stating its own editorial stance. The government of Pakistan, when initiated dialogue with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in 2014, two leading Urdu newspapers – Daily Jang and Daily Nawa-i-Waqt – in their editorials from January 2014 to July 2014 took up different positions.
To analyze the editorial contents, agenda-setting and framing approaches were used. These newspapers discussed the dialogue activity under themes like pre-parliament discussions, the impact of terror attacks on talks, discussion in the National Assembly on talks, different stakeholders’ stance on talks, teams of the government and TTP for the dialogue, impact of terrorism and TTP terms for the dialogue and military operation during the dialogue process. The Nawa-i-Waqt, though an extreme right paper, opposed the dialogue whereas the Jang, a center to right paper, favored the activity and showed its tilt towards the banned TTP’s stance.
