Framing Gaza in the Pakistani Media Ecosystem: State Control, Private Pluralism, and Digital Resistance

Abstract

Aim of the Study: This study examines how the Gaza conflict (October 2023-September 2024) was framed across Pakistani state-owned broadcasters, private television networks, and digital platforms, to uncover discursive strategies that shape public perceptions of global crises.

Methodology: A qualitative design was employed, combining Entman’s (1993) four-function framing model: problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and treatment recommendation, with Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough, 1995). The dataset included 120 media artifacts and 18 comparative tables, drawn from purposive and systematic sampling of televised news, radio summaries, podcasts, print headlines, and social media posts. Analysis also integrated a visual timeline to capture shifts in framing intensity and tone across three phases.

Results: Findings reveal that state media (60%) foregrounded religious solidarity and official diplomacy, private media (40%) balanced humanitarian and resistance frames, while digital platforms emphasized resistance (45%) and anti-imperial critiques (30%), often supported by emotive visuals and real-time engagement. Temporal analysis showed a progression from religious–humanitarian framing in the early phase, to resistance and anti-Western discourse in the mid-phase, and diplomacy reconstruction narratives in the later stage.

Conclusion: The study concludes that framing was shaped not by the conflict alone but by ownership structures, political ideology, and platform affordances, with digital platforms disrupting hegemonic narratives through counter-discourses. These findings highlight the need for advancing media literacy, fostering pluralistic conflict reporting, and strengthening independent journalism to counterbalance state-aligned discourse and enrich democratic debate in the Global South.