DefinePK

Abstract

Media is considered as one of the most powerful pillars of a modern state. Having more control over public discourse, it has more powers of making public opinion. A critical study of media discourse urges a need of exposing underlying ideologies instead of relying on the surface analysis of textual and linguistic features. One of the basic assumptions of such studies remains that power relations are discursive and discourse structures not only index social structures but social structures are also constructed, maintained, and challenged by discourse structures. In this regard, media may either enact the discourse of powerful or challenge it. All over the world, the media discourse structures are determined by its relationship with other groups. Instead of being factual, it constructs discourse according to a group policy. Pakistan is no exception in this regard. Although the concept of a free media is not very old here, yet it has assumed unimaginable powers in a very brief history of its freedom. In recent years, the county has seen some stronger and louder voices of political and social change than ever before. The August 2014 Azadi and Inqilab Marches and sit-ins of PTI and PAT were significant movements which influenced a palpable change in politics of the state. Owing to importance of these movements, it becomes very important to study how they were portrayed by the elite media of the county. This research planned to study the underlying ideological discourse structures which worked behind the coloring of the marches in a desired certain way. It applied the ideological square model of Van Dijk with particular focus on polarization in discourse. The data, i.e. the top stories of the front pages, was collected from the selected editions of the four major English newspapers-Dawn, The News, The Nation, and Daily Times. A critical examination of the data rendered that the media supported status-quo and enacted the discourse of the government instead of resisting and challenging the existing political and social narrative.