Role of Local Press in Conflicts: A Case Study of Editorial’ Contents of Daily Chand and Daily Shamal during Militancy in district Swat, Pakistan

The study "Role of Local Press in Conflict: A Case Study of Editorial' Contents of& Daily Chand and Daily Shamal during Militancy in district Swat, Pakistan" is basically a comparison of editorials, being published on the issue of militancy in both the local dailies of Swat to analyze that how these dailies treated government and militants’ agendas in their editorials. This study was conducted by content analysis of editorials of Daily Chand and Daily Shamal, publishing from district Swat while the media hegemony theory was applied as theoretical frame work for conducting the study. The findings made it clear that both the dailies had been given more coverage to militants' agenda, the ruling class during the unrest, than government agenda. Daily Chand had written total 84 editorials on the issue of militancy, it wrote 12 (14 percent) editorials against government but not a single editorial had been written against militants. Besides the daily had given only 06 percent supportive coverage to government agenda by publishing 05 editorials while the paper had, however, given more supportive coverage to militants by publishing 17 editorials in favor of their agenda with 20 percent of its total editorials, being published on the issue of militancy. Similarly daily Shamal had written 61 editorials on issue of militancy and of them only three editorials had been written with percentage of 05 percent in support of government agenda while it published two editorials in favor of militants' agenda, which reflect 03 percent of the total editorials, being written on the issue of militancy. Daily Shamal wrote o8 editorials (13 percent) against the provincial government, but it did not write even a single editorial to oppose militants' agenda or their any kind of act, meant to challenge writ of the government in district Swat, Pakistan.