Politics main topic for columnists: study

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 5 August 2015

A recent study by Gallup-Pakistan indicates that politics was the prevailing topic in opinion columns of 12 newspapers during April. The research categorizes various issues discussed, highlighting the prominence of political discourse.

Summary

ISLAMABAD: A monthly research study conducted by Gallup-Pakistan Media Research Division shows that ‘politics’ was the main issue under discussion in newspaper opinion articles/ columns published in 12 newspapers in April this year.

Out of the 12 newspapers, 5 were Urdu language - Daily Pakistan, Nawa-i-Waqt, Daily Express, Jasarat and Daily Khabarnama while 7 were English newspapers - The Express Tribune, Daily Times, Dawn, Pakistan Today, Pakistan Observer, The Nation and The News.

The topics discussed in these opinion articles were categorized into 12 broad themes: ‘Economy’, ‘Governance’, ‘Law’, ‘Politics’, ‘Media’, ‘Security,’ ‘Social’, ‘Sports’, ‘Health’, ‘Religion’, ‘Education’ and ‘Miscellaneous’.

Issues that were discussed less frequently were included in the ‘Miscellaneous’ category. Politics was discussed in 46 percent of the opinion articles while the second highest trending category was of ‘Security’ which accounted for 16 percent of the total opinion articles.

Articles relating to ‘Governance’ made up 10 percent of the total opinion articles while ‘Economy’ related columns accounted for 8 percent of the total. ‘Social’ category which covers topics ranging from fashion trends to grave social issues and debates accounted for 5 percent of the total articles written in April.

‘Law’ and ‘Education’ made up 2 percent of the total opinion articles each while ‘Media’, ‘Sports’, ‘Health’ and ‘Religion’ contributed only one percent opinion articles per category. Less frequently discussed topics were compiled under the category ‘Miscellaneous’ and made up 7 percent of the total articles.

Out of a total of 349 opinion articles written in Urdu newspapers in April, 47 percent related to ‘Politics’, 14 percent belonged to the category of ‘Security’, 14 percent fell under the categories ‘Social’ and ‘Economy’ with both categories individually accounting for half of this proportion.

‘Law’ and ‘Governance’ made up 5 percent opinion articles each while only 2 percent covered ‘Education’. Opinion articles relating to ‘Sports’, ‘Health’, and ‘Religion’ made up 3 percent of the total and 11 percent of them were categorized as ‘Miscellaneous.’

KEY POINTS:

• Politics constituted 46% of opinion articles in April.
• Security and Governance followed with 16% and 10% respectively.
• A total of 349 opinion articles were analyzed from 12 newspapers.
• Urdu newspapers had a 47% focus on politics, while English papers also mirrored this trend.
• Miscellaneous topics contributed 7% to the total opinion articles.