Don't Laugh When Your Neighbor’s Oven is on Fire: Coverage of Afghan Conflict in the Elite Press of China, India, Iran, and Pakistan

Abstract

The study critically examines coverage of Afghan conflict and the relationship between the elite press and the governments of the neighboring countries of Afghanistan. We analyzed how media framed Taliban in the context of foreign policies of the neighboring countries of Afghanistan having important stakes in the conflict-ravaged country. The study focused on the stated foreign policy positions of China, India, Iran, and Pakistan on the conflict in Afghanistan and the approach used by the elite press of these countries in responding to the initiatives of the foreign office. We employed content analysis to analyze editorials of the elite English-language newspapers to investigate whether the relationship between press and media is elite-driven, adversarial, or independent. We found that the elite English newspapers followed the official foreign policy of their countries while covering the war in Afghanistan and Taliban at a time when the entire region was in the grip of terror attacks.