Post 9/11 Media Coverage of Pakistan’s Reputation: Comparative Study of Pakistan and America’s Newspapers

Abstract

Ever since the terrorists‟ attacks of September 11, 2001, the role of Pakistan has been questionable. Pakistani nationals have been profiled and associated to terrorism acts. This paper aims to explore the post-9/11 media coverage of Pakistan's reputation through a comparative analysis of newspapers from Pakistan and America spanning the years 2001-2015. Researcher has employed a mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative) content analysis approach, the findings were analysed using thematic analysis and statistical analysis. The qualitative content analysis tends to uncover the fundamental stories and themes exist in the news stories, though the quantitative content analysis emphases on methodically measuring and examining communication systems within the newspapers. By exploring content of the prominent newspapers such as ‘The Washington Post’, ‘New York Times’, ‘Dawn’, and ‘The News’, these papers provided insights into how Pakistan's individuality has been represented in media discourse, especially in the repercussion of 9/11 attacks. The study recommended that both international and national media must carefully measure the influence of coverage to evade negatively representing individuals, societies, or groups, that might tarnish their reputes globally.