Factors Influencing a Journalist’s Gatekeeping Role in the Coverage of Traumatic Incidents in Pakistan

Abstract

This research study is designed to understand reporting traumatic incidents in Pakistani media and the individual level factors that influence a journalist’s decision while covering a traumatic incident and his/her decision of selecting information to include in or exclude from news.This study uses a qualitative research design to analyze the research question. The researcher used in-depth interviews with journalists in Peshawar and Tribal Districtsof Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Thirtyjournalists were recruited (news reporters, editors and photographers) working for media (print, broadcast and online), whose primary beat is ‘crime’ or “violentevents” along with other beats. The participants of the study were selected by purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Thematic Analysis as a method was used to analyze the data, i.e., interviews with journalists. Thedata was examined through the lens of the Hierarchy of Influences Model (HOI), which is an extension ofthe Gatekeeping Theory. The findingsshow thateducation, training, experience, focus on crime and conflict, newsworthiness of the story, self-promotion, and Job security influence a journalist’s decision while covering a traumatic incident in Pakistani media.