Air crash journalism: a neglected area in Pakistani journalism

Abstract

The study investigates news coverage of three recent commercial air crashes in Pakistan with framing theory. Aviation is a highly specialized field which involves extensive scientific and engineering knowledge therefore the professional mistakes committed by news reporters are often neglected. The overall study focuses on aviation news reporting and its weaknesses within Pakistan. By collecting news reports from the first fifteen days after the crash of three commercial airliners of Pakistan from three major English language Newspapers of Pakistan (Dawn, The News and The Nation) and twelve unstructured interviews from journalism professionals and aviation industrial experts. Total of 208 different news items were collected from the above mentioned newspapers, along with the twelve interviews. The study recommended the need of having certain appropriate measures that includes a set framework, training procedures and professional cooperation that could help journalists avoid and minimize factual errors and weaknesses in air crash and aviation journalism. The study also highlights that media owner‟s work to protect their own interests and their work reflects their inclination and affiliation. The conclusion point outs the fact that once reporters understand the technicalities, their stories will be much better as compared to what they have been presenting.i