PERSPECTIVE OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON PTI’S PROTEST IN ISLAMABAD IN NOVEMBER 2024: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Abstract

This work-investigates national and global media’s perspectives on the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf) protest in Pakistan’s capital; Islamabad in November 2024, using Van Dijk’s CDA (Critical Discourse Analysis). Focusing on headlines of newspapers from local, regional and national level and also from abroad the paper discusses the power of media in forming public opinion and political legitimacy by their narratives. The results reveal two diametrically opposite narratives: whereas Pakistani media largely delegitimized the demonstration framing PTI supporters as violent troublemakers, in contrast, foreign media concentrated on state repression and human rights abuses, and portrayed the protesters as victims of autocratic abuses. The influence of media discourse on public opinion and constructed political realities concerning controversial issues. Also, the study illuminates the influence of ideological position and media bias accentuating the power relations between them in their news. This research article adds to the discussion of media's influence, both at home and abroad, through providing an understanding of the role of media in the portrayal of political movements in Pakistan.