Political Polarization and the Media: An Editorial Review of the PML-N and PTI Rivalry in English Newspapers

Abstract

In the wake of the events of May 9, 2023, and the ensuing political crisis, this study looks at how editorial rhetoric in Pakistan's top English-language media reflects and reinforces political polarisation.  The study examines how Dawn, The News International, and The Express Tribune, three prominent media organisations, portrayed the conflict between the Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) during one of the most tumultuous periods in recent times. Content analysis of 60 editorials from May through July 2023 was carried out with the qualitative content analysis approach within the framework of agenda-setting theory, framing theory, emotional polarisation theory, and normative media ethics theory. The findings of research are that polarisation in editorials in Pakistan has energetically acquired a structured communication process conceptualized through media ethics, journalistic responsibility, and emotional tone instead of reflecting political hatred in a mirror-like fashion. Whereas The Express Tribune assumed a reconciliatory and reformist stand, encouraging talk and reflection on the matter, Dawn primarily focused on constitutionalism and self-restraint, exhibiting a spirit of deliberative democracy; The News International highlighted disciplinary regularity and institutional fidelity and therefore promoted control as well as stability. The above-mentioned publications collectively reflected several vocabularies of democracy's morality within the same political era. The research arrives at the conclusion polarisation in the country's elite press is not an indicator of unprofessionalism but a moral and affective negotiation. The editorials being at the same time critical, introspective and emotionally charged, they serve as moral texts showing the still-present role of journalism in hybrid democracies as a watchdog and a stabilising force. Apart from shedding light on such matters, this study also highlights the interaction of media ethics, emotional expression and institutional pressures in the shaping of public discourse, as well as the importance of moral responsibility, emotional intelligence and balanced framing in the fight for democracy through the use of discourse during emergencies.