01 Role of Newspapers in Education Policy Making in Punjab

Abstract

This paper examines the role of newspapers in policy making.  In this context, Punjab’s educational indicators are not satisfactory. Content of sampled two Urdu newspapers and two English newspapers was analyzed for this study every day for six months (From 1st January 2011 to 30th June 2011). Content analysis included all the articles, editorials, stories and letters to the editor/public statements related to education issues in Punjab. The hypothesis of the study is “Newspapers’ coverage of education policy issues in Punjab is tilted in favor of the government as compared to the independent point of view” and sub-hypotheses are i) Newspapers are giving more emphasis to an official version than public feedback on education. The findings reveal that “newspapers’ coverage of education policy issues in Punjab is not tilted in favor of the government as compared to the independent point of view.