Framing the Emerging Themes of Aurat March 2020 Pakistan: A Content Analysis of TV Talk Shows

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the major themes of Aurat March 2020 emerged in mainstream TV talk shows and its framing process within Radical and Islamist viewpoint. The selected sample for this study consists of twenty-five episodes of 17 talk shows from the private channels of mainstream media. The methodological framework for this study comes from Conceptual Content Analysis using the theoretical framework of framing theory. At the initial level an exploratory analysis is carried out to identify the themes and finally all interruptions are analyzed to see what themes are specified in the specific format of different talk shows. The purpose of this quantitative content research is to highlight the role of TV talk shows in developing dominant socio-cultural ideology of Aurat March by framing it in either a radical or Islamist approach. The importance of this study lies in the intended potential role of TV talk shows in providing a platform for the audience to become aware of the social events and issues prevailing in the society within the specifications of a particular frame.