Peace or War Journalism: Case Study of the Balochistan Conflict in Pakistan

Analysing peace journalism is a difficult task, especially within the context of an ongoing conflict. This study looks at peace journalism as it relates to the Balochistan/Pakistan conflict. Balochistan is a Pakistani province that makes up a large part of the country and is rich in natural resources. The Pakistani government has employed a policy of resource exploitation in the province, withholding any due share of profit from the Baloch. The conflict, which has been ongoing since the partition of India, has increasingly become a subject of debate in both the Pakistani and the international media, especially since the US Congress passed a non-binding resolution in favour of Balochistan’s right to self-determination. This research study examines the extent of peace journalism in both the traditional and social media in Pakistan since the congressional resolution. The content analysis uses a sample of 100 articles drawn from four Pakistani newspapers, as well as 1,000 tweets from various relevant Twitter users. Using models derived from Galtung and built upon by Lynch and McGoldrick, this study reflects an apparent display of peace journalism in the working timeframe from various different sources.