Exploring the Press Coverage of Political Leaders in Pakistan: An Indexing Perspective

Abstract

The main purpose of this research is to examine the coverage of political leaders in the leading newspapers of Pakistan within the premises of indexing theory. Employing a qualitative content analysis methodology, this study investigates the portrayal of political leaders within the selected newspapers and explores the predominant themes in their coverage. In order to achieve this objective, a comprehensive content analysis of top two English newspapers including; Dawn and The Express Tribune has been conducted. This study provides insights into the manner in which the newspapers present political leaders and examines the extent to which their coverage adheres to the principles of indexing theory. The findings of this study show that the coverage and indexing of new related to the political figures in Pakistani newspapers demonstrate a wide array of perspectives, as observed through the lens of indexing theory. However, overall portrayal of Imran Khan in both the newspapers contain indexing as an active political figure. There is mix of indexing of Maryam Nawaz in both the newspapers. One the other hand, Maulana Fazal Ur Rehman found critical indexing in both the newspapers. Ameer JI Siraj ul Haq has been indexed in more neutral way by the selected newspapers.