To Analyze the News Contents of Electronic Media in Pakistan, Whether the Media is Terrorizing or Informing the Community

Abstract

Drawing on war coverage and media studies, this article analyzes coverage of the May 7–11, 2025 interstate conflict that followed the Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir and analyses the role of electronic media in India and Pakistan. With the help of Framing Theory and a qualitative content analysis, the study analyses if the media behaved responsibly with regard to informing people about possible pandemics, or irresponsibly by spreading false rumors and exacerbating people’s anxieties. The study tracks the narratives of six top news channels — three each from India and Pakistan — measuring the coverage tone, feelings it invoked, true-true and false-true (sensational) nature of content. The results show that the media of both sides played a role in creating a higher-nationalism and mutual-hostility environment through sensational or false report, but some attempts at fact-checking and balanced journalism existed as well. The paper concludes with the thesis that media was less a force for industrial democracy than a tool of polarization. The article concludes with proposals to reinforce journalistic responsibility, cross-border media collaboration, and media literacy for the public in the event of a crisis.