Award Winners for Volume 9
News Framing and Discourse Analysis of the Editorials of the Aurat March in Pakistan’s English Language Newspapers
This study examines how editorials in Pakistan’s four major English-language newspapers—Dawn, The Express Tribune, The News and The Nation—represented the Aurat March in Pakistan, held on International Women’s Day (March 8), to reclaim public spaces for women. There was a public outcry against the movement, sparked by the key messages and slogans used to communicate with the masses. This research aims to study news frames used by Pakistan’s leading English-language newspapers for the portrayal of the Aurat March. The editorials published during the month of March from 2018 to 2022 were analyzed to identify the news frames. Subsequently, using Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory, this research also analyzes the narrative of this movement and counter-narratives from the opposition in a bid to better understand the discursive terrain. The findings show how these editorials and the opposition both talk about women’s rights but understand them differently. Our findings suggest that a lack of transparency can hinder a public movement’s ability to communicate its positive message.
This article contributes to the field of communication and media studies by analyzing the editorial framing of a significant and controversial feminist movement in Pakistan, the Aurat March. By examining how four leading English-language newspapers portrayed the Aurat March from 2018 to 2022, this study sheds light on the interplay between elite media discourse and grassroots feminist activism in a highly polarized sociopolitical landscape. The use of both framing theory and Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory allows for a layered understanding of how narratives are constructed, challenged, and negotiated in public discourse. This work is significant for researchers interested in non-Western media perspectives, feminist movements in the Global South, and the political role of discourse in contested public spaces.
One of the key contributions of this article is its focus on feminist resistance and media framing in the Global South. Much of the existing scholarship in feminist media studies tends to reflect Western-centric movements and discourse. However, this research highlights how feminist activism in Pakistan is deeply embedded in religious, cultural, and class-specific tensions, and how it is received and reframed through elite media narratives. The editorial framing of the Aurat March often fails to capture the radical and intersectional demands of the movement, pointing to a broader mismatch between global feminist discourse and the localized struggles of women in the Global South. In doing so, this article contributes to the decolonization of feminist media scholarship by drawing attention to the complexities, contradictions, and courage embedded in non-Western feminist movements.
This article also represents a deeply personal intellectual milestone in my academic journey. It was written while I was serving as a faculty member at the Lahore School of Economics and has since become foundational to my current doctoral research at Kent State University. As a female researcher from Pakistan, I have followed the Aurat March from its inception. I have firsthand witnessed the passionate debates, misinterpretations, and social ruptures it has caused. Conducting this research allowed me to critically reflect on the disconnect between media framing, public opinion, and the lived realities of the women involved in the movement. The findings not only underscore the challenges faced by feminist activism in conservative societies but also suggest the importance of strategic communication and narrative framing for movement-building.
Academically, this article marks a convergence of my interest in critical media studies, feminist theory, and discourse analysis. It has opened new avenues of research for me into how counterpublics emerge and evolve within repressive and patriarchal information environments. Receiving this award affirms the scholarly relevance and impact of this work, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to a global dialogue on gender, media, and social justice.
—Shiza Nisar and Muhammad Shemyal Nisar