A Comparative Analysis of Media Coverage of populist Leaders in India and Pakistan

Abstract

This study scrutinizes newspapers coverage of populist leaders in India and Pakistan, directing on how newspapers frame Populist leaders during the pre-election and post-election. For that quantitative content analysis of four newspapers: Dawn (Pakistan), The News (Pakistan), The Hindu (India), and The Times of India (India) is used. Framing theory aids as the theoretical framework for examining the key discursive approaches. The "People-Centric" frame was mostly applied during the pre-election coverage of populist leaders in both India and Pakistan. In contrast, the "Anti-Elitist" frame appeared as the most common in post-election coverage. Moreover, there was a shift from the "Emotive Language" frame in the pre-election period to the "Demonizing Language" frame in post-election for the coverage of populist leaders of both countries. In the pre-election period, the tone of the newspapers was generally supportive, but it became more critical after the election.