Editorial Treatment of Burhan Wani Killing: A Comparative Analysis of Pakistan and India Press

Abstract

This study examines coverage patterns of the killing of Burhan Muzaffar Wani in two leading English dailies of Pakistan and India from July 2016 to December 2016. The killing of Wani, a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, in an encounter by the Indian security forces on July 8, 2016, led to large-scale protests in the Indian-held Kashmir and military confrontations over the line of control between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors and claims of surgical strikes against Pakistan by India. The theoretical framework for this research was determined by framing theory, while the sample was selected by applying census sampling. The findings, based on a quantitative content analysis of selected editorials of The Times of India and The News International, show that the two newspapers did not present the ground reality as it is, but reconstructed it according to their agendas and represented it by framing events. The patriotic and hostile attitude of the media of both countries results in the obstruction of peace process and endorses a wave of tension, which often leads to heightened tension and war hysteria between the two countries. Consistent with the existing scholarship on peace journalism, the findings of this study also show how the news media surrender impartiality and cover the events in view of their country’s national interests and foreign policy. Keywords: Framing, conflict communication, Kashmir dispute, Burhan Wani, Kashmir freedom movement, crisis communication.