A Critical Discourse Analysis of News in Media about Rape Victims in Pakistan

Article Sidebar

Read PDF
Published: Mar 30, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14781971
Keywords:
CDA, Media Discourse, Rape Cases, Media Manipulation, Victim Blaming

Main Article Content

Muniba Zaman
MPhil in Applied Linguistics, Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University, Faisalabad
Dr. Syed Kazim Shah
Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan
Ghulam Hasnain
PhD Scholar, Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the discourse in news coverage, specifically focusing on the reporting of rape cases, with a particular focus on victim blaming and fact-hiding in the Pakistani media discourse. Drawing on the Van Dijk model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study intends to unveil biases or power inequalities deep rooted in the structure and management of news reporting discourse. The research seeks to ascertain whether media outlets employ deceptive language to conceal the reality in reporting on rape cases, the influence of victim blaming on readers’ perception, and how the news media copes with the reporting of rape incidents. Data collection involves analysis of news articles from five well-known Pakistani publications: The Dawn News, ARY News, Dunya News, Geo News, and the Express Tribune particularly focusing on the "Zainab's Murder and Rape Case." The analysis highlights instances of deletion, word choice, hiding identity, and lack of mention of police action, which contribute to the manipulation of information in news reports. The results of the study shed light on the biased description of rape incidents in the Pakistani media, fanning victim blame and rape lores. The study stresses the need for unbiased and truthful reporting of sexual assault incidents, ensuring that the experiences of victims are accurately portrayed. By uncovering the manipulation and biases in the Pakistani news media, this research contributes to a better understanding of the discourse patterns surrounding rape cases and the potential impact on public attitudes towards victims.


 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Zaman, M., Shah, D. S. K., & Hasnain, G. (2023). A Critical Discourse Analysis of News in Media about Rape Victims in Pakistan. Linguistic Forum - A Journal of Linguistics, 5(1), 16–21. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14781971
Issue
Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023): Linguistic Forum - A Journal of Linguistics
Section
Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

License Terms

All articles published by MARS Publishers are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. This means:

  • everyone has free and unlimited access to the full-text of all articles published in MARS Publishers' journals;
  • everyone is free to re-use the published material if proper accreditation/citation of the original publication is given.
Author Biographies

Muniba Zaman, MPhil in Applied Linguistics, Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University, Faisalabad

Muniba Zaman is an MPhil in Applied Linguistics from the Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University, Faisalabad. Her areas of interest are discourse analysis, corpus linguistics, and ELT.

 

 

Dr. Syed Kazim Shah, Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan

Dr. Syed Kazim Shah is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University, Faisalabad. His areas of interest are ELT, (Critical) Discourse Analysis, Philosophy, and Critical Thinking. He has published several research papers in national and international journals.

 

Ghulam Hasnain, PhD Scholar, Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.

Ghulam Hasnain is a PhD scholar in Applied Linguistics from the Department of Applied Linguistics, Government College University, Faisalabad. His areas of interest are discourse analysis, ELT, and corpus linguistics. He has presented his research work at several national and international conferences.

 

 

References

Adil, K. (2020). Punishing rapists: Lessons learned from the motorway rape case. Pakistan Journal of Criminology, 12(3-4), 148-150.

Almasy, S. (2013, August 11). Teen allegedly raped by two classmates at party. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/11/justice/california-teen-allegedly-raped/index.html

Ashraf, M. J., Muhammad, F., & Hopper, T. (2019). Accounting signifiers, political discourse, popular resistance and legal identity during Pakistan Steel Mills attempted privatization. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 60, 18-43.

Bilal, H. A., Ahsan, H. M., Gohar, S., Younis, S., & Awan, S. J. (2012). Critical discourse analysis of political TV talk shows of Pakistani media. International Journal of Linguistics, 4(1), 203.

Buijs, F. J. (2005). The public role of religion in Dutch society: A symbolic interactionist view. In J. A. Beckford & N. J. Demerath III (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of the sociology of religion (pp. 267-282). Sage Publications.

Burke, K. A. (2014). Media Portrayal of Individuals in the lower class and its effects on attributions of educational hardships. [Unpublished Master’s Thesis]. Malmo University.

Burke, M. C., & Bernstein, M. (2014). How the Right usurped the queer agenda: Frame co‐optation in political discourse. Sociological Forum, 29(4), 830-850.

Bouvier, D. (2018). Critical discourse analysis: Definition, approaches, relation to pragmatics, critique, and trends. In The Palgrave Handbook of Linguistic (Im)politeness (pp. 1-28). Palgrave Macmillan.

Cukier, W. (2009). The discourse of cyber security in Canada. Canadian Journal of Communication, 34(4), 605-620.

Fossey, E., Harvey, C., McDermott, F., & Davidson, L. (2002). Understanding and evaluating qualitative research. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 36(6), 717-732.

Huda, S., & Kamal, A. (2017). Professionals’ perspective in portrayal of honor killings in Pakistani media. Pakistan Journal of Criminology, 9(1), 15.

Hussain, F. (2011). The judicial system of Pakistan. Pakistan: Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Ramanathan, R., & Hoon, T. B. (2015). Application of critical discourse analysis in media discourse studies. 3L: Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 21(3).

O’Hara, S. (2012). Monsters, playboys, virgins, and whores: Rape myths in the news media’s coverage of sexual violence. Language and Literature, 21(3), 247-259.

Pekkarinen, A.G. (2016). Critical discourse analysis of the representation of victims and perpetrators of sexual violence in selected US news articles. [Bachelor’s Thesis]. University of Jyväskylä.

Layman, K.E. (2020). The representation of rape and sexual assault within news media: A systematic review and meta-analysis [Doctoral dissertation]. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Lee, J. (2010). The construction of rape in the news. In R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of critical discourse analysis (pp. 280-300). Sage Publications.

Lindqvist, A. (2018). Rape culture and media practices: A critical analysis of Dawn News’ coverage of the Zainab murder case. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 19(4), 1-15. https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1813&context=jiws

Kress, G. (1990). Critical discourse analysis. Annual Review of Anthropology, 19(1), 187-201.

Mar, R. A. (2010). The psychology of humor: A reference guide and annotated bibliography. Greenwood Publishing Group.

Merrill, J. C. (2003). Media literacy and critical thinking in the age of the Internet: Part III - Critical thinking and analysis. American Behavioral Scientist, 48(2), 254-257.

Mgoqi-Mbalo, N., Zhang, M., & Ntuli, S. (2017). Risk factors for PTSD and depression in female survivors of rape. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9(3), 301.

Nagira, S. (1995). Rape is a horrifying act of violence and intimidation that is frequently committed by a person who is mentally ill. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 10(4), 454-458. https://doi.org/10.1177/088626095010004007

Phelan, S. (2017). Critical discourse analysis: A review of the literature. ELT Journal, 71(4), 401-411.

Sajid, M. A., Anwar, B., & Ashraf, M. (2019). Politics, ideology, and print media: A CDA of newspapers’ headlines. Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 22(3), 44-59.

Tylstedt, B. (2021). From Victim to Perpetrator: A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of Swedish News Media in the Wake of MeToo. [unpublished master’s thesis]. Upsalla University.

Vaara, E. (2002). On the discursive construction of success/failure in narratives of post-merger integration. Organization studies, 23(2), 211-248.

Vishnevsky, T., & Beanlands, H. (2004). Qualitative research. Nephrology Nursing Journal, 31(2), 234.

Van Dijk, T. A. (1993). Principles of critical discourse analysis. Discourse & Society, 4(2), 249-283.

Van Dijk, T. A. (1995b). Opinions and ideologies in editorials. In 4th International Symposium of Critical Discourse Analysis, Language, Social Life and Critical Thought, Athens (pp. 14-16).

Winther Jrgensen, M., & Phillips, L. J. (2000). Discourse analysis as theory and method. Sage Publications.