REPRESENTING THE UNDERREPRESENTED: COVERAGE AND PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN IN PAKISTANI NEWSPAPERS DURING COVID-19

Abstract

Despite women’s active role in the development of a nation, unfortunately, they are continuously exploited and objectified by the Pakistani Media. This exclusion from the media and by the media can lead to their marginalization and apathetic attitudes towards them, especially during COVID-19. The study aims to examine how much coverage and attention women get on the front pages of the mainstream English-language Pakistani newspapers. To analyze the coverage and portrayal of women, descriptive and content analysis of the front pages was employed where frame analysis was conducted as a part of content analyses. Three mainstream newspapers were selected i.e., Dawn, Express Tribune, and Daily Times. Frequencies and percentages of news covered in the form of tables and charts have been used to summarize all the news reports on the front pages. Positive, negative and neutral frames are adapted to investigate the women depiction. Microsoft Excel is employed to establish the data in the form of charts. The findings revealed that the newspapers do not give adequate coverage to women leading to impaired perceptions by the public. However, a positive portrayal of women has been found like never before hinting toward a progressive change. The outcome of this study supports the Agenda Setting Theory in the context of Pakistani Newspapers. By publishing selective content, print media sets public agenda through routinely priming and framing of the news. Consequently, this translates into the policy agenda by those in power. Moreover, the research proposes that print media can play an invaluable role in achieving gender equality, eliminating discrimination against women and raising awareness regarding gendered-power structures. In this way, the study help in balancing the gender inequalities and will aid in highlighting the underrepresentation of women, the need for the fair portrayal of women, and an unbiased, honest, and fair reporting of women. The study recommends introducing a set of guidelines alongside a ranking system for newspapers that adhere to moral and ethical principles of journalism, hence, ensuring the construction of a socially healthy output in the print media. This study also encourages the incorporation of a solution-based journalism for gender reporting to ensure the gender-sensitive portrayal and an impactful representation.