The Discursive Construction of the Terai Protests in The Kathmandu Post and The Times of India
Author
Hepting, Valeria
Term
10. term
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-07-29
Abstract
This thesis examines how two prominent South Asian newspapers, The Kathmandu Post (Nepal) and The Times of India, discursively constructed the Madhesi-led Terai protests that followed Nepal's 2015 constitution. Set against the broader India–Nepal crisis and allegations of an 'unofficial' blockade, the study asks how media narratives shape meanings, power relations, and possible neo-racist othering around the protests. Using Critical Discourse Analysis, the author collected relevant online articles via a customized Google search and interpreted them through predefined analytical parameters to identify framing choices, inclusions/exclusions, and attribution of agency. The analysis finds partly one-sided reporting and ideological tendencies in both outlets that lean toward the Nepali government. The Kathmandu Post portrays protesters as socially distant from northern Nepalis and as rights-claimants who may resort to violence, while casting the government as a protector focused on improving the country; it highlights civilian impacts and distributes responsibility among actors. The Times of India depicts protesters as deliberately violent, marginalizes their motives by excluding them from coverage, frames them as principal perpetrators, and presents the Nepali government as reacting, while largely ignoring India's role. Across both newspapers, key contextual factors are omitted, simplifying causes and reinforcing an 'us versus them' binary. The study shows how such discursive strategies and latent intentions can influence audience perceptions and potentially bias understandings of the crisis.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan to fremtrædende sydasiatiske aviser, The Kathmandu Post (Nepal) og The Times of India, diskursivt konstruerede de Madhesi-ledede Terai-protester, der fulgte Nepals forfatning fra 2015. I lyset af den bredere Indien–Nepal-krise og påstande om en 'uofficiel' blokade spørger studiet, hvordan mediefortællinger former betydning, magtforhold og mulig neo-racistisk andre-gørelse omkring protesterne. Ved hjælp af Kritisk Diskursanalyse indsamlede forfatteren relevante netartikler via en tilpasset Google-søgning og tolkede dem ud fra foruddefinerede analytiske parametre for at identificere framingvalg, inklusion/eksklusion og tildeling af handlekraft. Analysen finder delvist ensidig dækning og ideologiske tendenser i begge medier, der hælder mod den nepalesiske regering. The Kathmandu Post fremstiller demonstranterne som socialt distancerede fra nordlige nepalesere og som rettighedskæmpere, der kan gribe til vold, mens regeringen fremstilles som beskytter med fokus på at forbedre landet; avisen betoner civile konsekvenser og fordeler ansvar på flere aktører. The Times of India skildrer demonstranterne som bevidst voldelige, marginaliserer deres motiver ved at udelukke dem fra dækningen, fremstiller dem som hovedansvarlige og præsenterer den nepalesiske regering som reaktiv, mens Indiens rolle i høj grad ignoreres. Begge aviser udelader væsentlige kontekstuelle faktorer, forenkler årsagerne og forstærker et 'os versus dem'-skel. Studiet viser, hvordan sådanne diskursive strategier og latente intentioner kan påvirke publikums opfattelser og potentielt skævvride forståelsen af krisen.
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