Title: Ethnic Violence in Karachi: Dawn and Jang Coverage of May 12, 2007 Ethnic Violence
Authors: Arshad Ali, Imtiaz Ahmed
Journal: Journal of Mass Communication
Publisher: University of Karachi, Karachi
Country: Pakistan
Year: 2014
Volume: 11
Issue: 1
Language: en
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Communities in Karachi have hardly lived cheek by jowl as there simmered ethnic tension in the city until recently often turning into clashes. The recently-subdued bloodshed traces its roots to 1985 killing of a Mohajir girl in a road crash after which the city was plunged into a communal frenzy with May 12, 2007 Karachi violence involving MQM, ANP and PPP being part of the long-standing communal frenzy. Considering rivalries between the said groups, the article aims to examine Dawn and Jang coverage of the May 12 violence which saw dozens of people die on Karachi streets. Textual analysis of both dailies has been carried out to compare their 15-day coverage of the May 12 violence which among other things helped find out either of the newspapers’ slant towards any group. Discourse and content analyses suggest that Jang not only mostly carried press releases but also shown a tilt towards MQM. Also, frequency and placement of news items have systematically been analyzed in addition to observing exclusive news about the fateful day.