Seventh International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

It is very difficult to identify if media is contributing to spreading religious differences in the country in black and white but we can always figure out some aspects of it from the kind of language used by the media. The larger aim is to identify the communication strategies and whether the religious minorities are targeted by the media as well. The research largely focuses on the primetime debates conducted by the NDTV (Prime Time with Ravish Kumar) and Aaj Tak (Aaj Tak Adda). The cases I have identified for the research are the Malegaon blast case (2006), the Pehlu Khan lynching case (2017), and the Kathua rape case (2018). These cases are chosen on their qualification of a direct relationship with religious matters in the country. I look at the debates and discussions conducted by the above-mentioned news channels to discuss about these three cases and focus on the kind of language used by the media to give out information to the people. Looking at the language used by the media, we come to know how does media contribute to shaping the opinion of people on religious minorities. The findings of the research can be that the media’s contribution is either positive or negative in molding public opinion based on the coverage given to these particular cases.