THE ROLE OF MASS MEDIA IN SHAPING OF PUBLIC

OPINION
(A Case study of University of Malakand)

Supervisor
Dr. Adnan Khan

Submitted By
Rooh Ullah
Sadia Gul
Zaib Ul Hassan
BS Sociology

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF MALAKAND
(Session 2013-2017)
This thesis is dedicated to our parents.
For their endless love, support and encouragement.

i
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, praises and thanks to the Almighty ALLAH, Who enabled him to
complete this thesis and to contribute to the noble field of knowledge.

We would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to our research supervisor,
Dr. Adnan Khan (Chairman Department of Sociology, University of Malakand) for giving us
the opportunity to do research and providing invaluable guidance throughout this research. His
dynamism, vision, sincerity and motivation have deeply inspired us. He has taught us the
methodology to carry out the research and to present the research works as clearly as possible. It
was a great privilege and honor for us to work and study under his guidance. We are extremely
grateful for what he has offered us. We would also like to thank him for his friendship, empathy,
and great sense of humor. The researchers are deeply grateful to him for the useful suggestion
timely assistance and immeasurable contribution. His positive approach provided the researchers
incentives to overcome the obstacles and hurdles.

We are extremely grateful to our parents for their love, prayers, caring and sacrifices for
educating and preparing us for our future.

We appreciate all our friends and well-wishers especially Mr. Imran Ullah and her lovely
family who one way or the other have been there and have continually prayed for our success.
God bless you.

A special note of appreciation and thanks to those who cooperated and responded to all
the questionnaires. The study would not have been realized without their cooperation.

May Allah bless all the concerned with health, happiness and peace!
The researchers

Rooh Ullah,

Sadia Gul,

Zaib Ul Hassan.

ii
 Abstract
This study addresses the role of mass media in shaping of public opinion. The role of
mass media is to inform, aware, educate and entertain the people. The media can shape public
opinion by publicizing certain stories or stressing certain aspects of stories. Mass media has a
massive role to play in common man’s life. It’s not possible for people to visit all the places to
know the actual situations. So they follow the media for that. Furthermore, the media is a very
powerful weapon that can quickly change people’s perspectives and beliefs in few minutes. This
study is qualitative in nature and stratified random sampling is used. The tools used for data
collection are interview schedule, case studies, and key informant interviews. This study is
conducted in University of Malakand. The findings of the study shows that the media plays a
prominent essential role in the formation of public opinion through several influential organs
such as the press, radio, television, cinema, theater, books and social networking sites, which is
one of the most important means of communication with the public. Television and newspapers
have the power it takes to shape the thinking power of the public through spillover and
dissemination of news and help common people build an opinion regarding a person, a political
party, any issue or even about a country. It is therefore the responsibility of the journalists to be
accurate, fair and ethical towards their jobs.

iii
 Table of Contents
Chapter # 1 .................................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Background of the study ....................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 3
1.2.1 Print Media ..................................................................................................................... 5
1.2.2 Electronic Media............................................................................................................. 5
1.2.3 New Age Media .............................................................................................................. 5
1.3 Statement of the problem ...................................................................................................... 5
1.4 Objectives of the study .......................................................................................................... 6
1.5 Significance of the study ....................................................................................................... 6
1.6 Delimitation of the study ....................................................................................................... 7
1.7 Organization of the study ...................................................................................................... 7
1.8 Theoretical frame work ......................................................................................................... 7
1.9 Conceptual frame work ......................................................................................................... 8
Chapter # 2 .................................................................................................................................. 10
Literature Review ....................................................................................................................... 10
2.1 Mass media.......................................................................................................................... 10
2.1.1 Print Media ................................................................................................................... 11
2.1.2 Electronic Media........................................................................................................... 13
2.1.3 New Age Media ............................................................................................................ 13
2.2 History of major institutions of Mass media ....................................................................... 15
2.2.1 A brief history of Television ........................................................................................ 15
2.2.2 History of television in Pakistan ................................................................................... 15
2.2.3 A brief history of newspaper ........................................................................................ 16
2.2.4 History of newspaper in Pakistan ................................................................................. 17
2.2.5 A brief history of Radio ................................................................................................ 18
2.2.6 History of radio in Pakistan .......................................................................................... 19
2.2.7 History of internet ......................................................................................................... 19
2.3 Historical Evolution of mass Communications................................................................... 21
2.4 The role of mass media in Pakistan ..................................................................................... 23
2.5 Factors for growth of media in Pakistan ............................................................................. 25

iv
 2.6 Some positive aspects of Pakistani media ........................................................................... 27
2.6.1 Level of Awareness ...................................................................................................... 27
2.6.2 Development Efforts of State ....................................................................................... 28
2.6.3 Development of Public Opinion ................................................................................... 28
2.6.4 Helps in Educational Efforts......................................................................................... 28
2.6.5 Supports Democracy..................................................................................................... 28
2.6.6 Support to Public Issues / Affairs ................................................................................. 28
2.7 Certain negative role of Pakistani media............................................................................. 29
2.7.1 Consumerism ................................................................................................................ 29
2.7.2 Moral Vacuum .............................................................................................................. 29
2.7.3 Westernization .............................................................................................................. 29
2.7.4 Not Developing National Image ................................................................................... 29
2.7.5 False Values .................................................................................................................. 29
2.7.6 Manifestation of Interests ............................................................................................. 30
2.7.7 Exaggeration ................................................................................................................. 30
2.7.8 Dangers to Socialization ............................................................................................... 30
2.7.9 Sensationalizing / Creating Uncertainty ....................................................................... 30
2.7.10 Overloaded with Information ..................................................................................... 30
2.8 Influence of mass media on society .................................................................................... 31
2.9 Theories regarding the role of mass media ......................................................................... 34
2.9.1 Limited-effects theory .................................................................................................. 34
2.9.2 Class-dominant theory .................................................................................................. 35
2.9.3 Culturalist theory .......................................................................................................... 36
2.10 Public opinion ................................................................................................................... 37
2.11 Positive Impact of Media on the Public Opinion .............................................................. 39
2.12 Negative Impact of Media on the Public Opinion............................................................. 40
2.13 The role of mass media in shaping of public opinion ....................................................... 42
Chapter #3 ................................................................................................................................... 46
Methodology ................................................................................................................................ 46
3.1 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 46
3.2 The problem ........................................................................................................................ 46
3.3 Purpose of the study ............................................................................................................ 46

v
3.4 Objectives of the study ........................................................................................................ 46
3.5 Locality................................................................................................................................ 47
3.6 Sampling.............................................................................................................................. 47
3.7 Tool for data collection ....................................................................................................... 48
3.8 Data analysis ....................................................................................................................... 48
3.9 Nature of the study .............................................................................................................. 48
3.10 Time duration .................................................................................................................... 48
3.11 Area Profile ....................................................................................................................... 48
3.11.1 Malakand Division ..................................................................................................... 48
3.11.2 District Dir lower ........................................................................................................ 49
3.11.3 History of Dir lower ................................................................................................... 49
3.11.4 Population of Dir lower .............................................................................................. 49
3.11.5 Literacy ratio of Dir lower .......................................................................................... 49
3.11.6 Location of Dir lower ................................................................................................. 49
3.11.7 Topography of Dir lower ............................................................................................ 50
3.11.8 Chakdara ..................................................................................................................... 50
3.11.9 Historical Backround of Chakdara ............................................................................. 50
3.11.10 History of University of Malakand ........................................................................... 50
3.11.11 Location .................................................................................................................... 51
3.11.12 Demography ............................................................................................................. 51
3.11.13 Climate...................................................................................................................... 51
3.11.14 Temperature .............................................................................................................. 52
3.11.15 Race .......................................................................................................................... 52
3.11.16 Language .................................................................................................................. 52
3.11.17 Dress ......................................................................................................................... 52
3.11.18 Food: ......................................................................................................................... 52
3.11.19 Behavior.................................................................................................................... 52
3.11.20 Relations ................................................................................................................... 52
3.11.21 Religion .................................................................................................................... 53
3.11.22 Health facilities ......................................................................................................... 53
3.11.23 Communication ........................................................................................................ 53
3.11.24 Problem of the students ............................................................................................ 53

vi
Chapter No.4 ............................................................................................................................... 54
DATA ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................... 54
4.1 Case Study…...1 .................................................................................................................. 54
4.2 Case Study……2 ................................................................................................................. 57
4.3 Case study….3 .................................................................................................................... 59
4.4 Case study….4 .................................................................................................................... 61
4.5 Case Study…..5 ................................................................................................................... 63
4.6 Case study….6 .................................................................................................................... 65
4.7 Findings from Interviews .................................................................................................... 67
Chapter # 5 .................................................................................................................................. 68
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................. 68
5.1 Summary ............................................................................................................................. 68
5.2 Conclusion........................................................................................................................... 69
5.3 Recommendations ............................................................................................................... 70
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 72
INTERVIEW SCHEDULE ........................................................................................................ 74

vii
Chapter # 1
INTRODUCTION
This research work explores the role of mass media in the shaping of public opinion in the
lives of students studying at the University of Malakand. This study is qualitative in nature and
stratified random sampling is used. The tools used for data collection are Interview schedule,
Case studies, and key informant interviews.

1.1 Background of the study

Mass media mean technology that is intended to reach a mass audience. It is the primary
means of communication used to reach the vast majority of the general public. The most
common platforms for mass media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the
Internet. The general public typically relies on the mass media to provide information regarding
political issues, social issues, entertainment, and news in popular culture (Awatade, 2014).

The power of the mass media to set a nation‘s agenda, to focus public attention on a few key
public issues, is an immense and well-documented influence. Not only do people acquire factual
information about public affairs from the mass media, readers and viewers also learn how much
importance to attach to a topic on the basis of the emphasis placed on it in the news. Newspapers
provide a host of cues about the salience of the topics in the daily news – lead story on page one,
other front page display, large headlines, etc. Television news also offers numerous cues about
salience – the opening story on the newscast, length of time devoted to the story, etc. These cues
repeated day after day effectively communicate the importance of each topic. In other words, the
mass media can set the agenda for the public‘s attention to that small group of issues around
which public opinion forms. To emphasize this point, Obaze and Ogbiti (2004), quoting Thomas
Jefferson‘s write up in 1823 stated: ―The press is the best instrument for enlightening the minds
of man and improving him as a rational, moral and social being….‖

Mass media is a term denoting that section of the media specifically designed to reach a very
large audience (typically at least as large as the whole population of a nation-state), today,
including not only radio and television, which tend to be limited to the local or national level, but
also the Internet, which is global. It was coined in the 1920s, with the advent of nationwide radio

1
networks, mass-circulation newspapers, and magazines, especially in the United States, although
mass media were present centuries before the term became common (Gurevitch et al, 2000, p
24).

The mass media audience has been viewed by some as forming a "mass society" with special
characteristics, notably atomization or lack of social connections, which render it, especially
susceptible to the influence of modern mass media techniques of persuasion such as advertising
and propaganda. Mass media can be one of the hardest forms of media within which to decipher
what is true and what is not. Given that mass media penetrates the whole of society, its reach and
influence are immense. Therefore, the responsibility of those participating in this type of
communication is also great, as the future direction of human society could well be guided by the
mass media (Gurevitch et al, 2000, p 24).

In the late 21st Century, the mass media could be primarily classified into eight mass media
industries: books, newspapers, magazines, recordings, radio, movies, television and the internet.
However, with the explosion of digital communication technology in the late 20th and early 21st
centuries, the question of what forms of media should be classified as mass media became more
prominent. For example, it is controversial whether to include cell phones, video games and
computer games in the definition (Gurevitch et al, 2000, p 21).

In the 2000s, a classification called the "seven mass media" became popular. In order of
introduction, they have printed media, recordings, cinema, radio, television, the internet, cell
phones. Television is now the most captivating form of mass media that has acclaimed
preferences of the masses all around the globe. It has emerged as a pioneer in transmitting
information and broadcasting, entertainment shows all around the globe. It has now become a
basic necessity in life. This shows that the television media has the highest reach to the audience
and as a result, it possesses the greatest power of ―social persuasion.‖ Mass media have at times
changed the dynamics of the society for the worse (Stovall et al, 2005, p 7).

The greatest power of mass media is ―Social Persuasion.‖ This is because people buy what
they are being told by the Media. In the current world where people are too busy (or too lazy) to
verify the news telecasted in the leading media channels & print media believe the mass media
completely. Hence, media has achieved control over the Value Judgments of the viewers &

2
readers who are not able to distinguish between right and wrong. Media has become the supreme
source of information which is held to be true at any cost. Thus it gives license to the people who
use mass media personally to shape the opinion of the people and thereby adversely affect the
society (Murshed, 2014).

1.2 Introduction

The role of mass media is to inform, aware, educate and entertain the people. In today‘s life
where every day something or the other is happening around us which is affecting the lives of the
people directly or indirectly, it is really very important for all of us to at least know the actual
situation of the whole incident. And here comes the role of media, be it print media, electronic
media or any other form of media. Media, on the whole, provides all the necessary details to its
masses so that they are aware of everything that is taking place all around the world (Quora,
2017).

The media can shape public opinion by publicizing certain stories or stressing certain aspects
of stories. A major theme of mass media is that the most salient details of a story are seen as
being the most important. For example, two media outlets could each run a story on the state of
the economy. One might emphasize the current administration‘s regulatory policies, and the
other might focus on interest rates. In both cases, the facts are the same, but the narrative has
changed dramatically (ibid).

Mass media has a massive role to play in common man‘s life. It‘s not possible for people to
visit all the places to know the actual situations. So they follow the media for that. People depend
on them for news feed, general knowledge, guidance and much more. Mass media has the power
to make or break the country. For any country to prosper, Media plays a vital role and it‘s very
much needed for the media to be independent and unbiased. Many Medias are now competing
for each other to influence people in two different directions. Many of them target masala news
instead of streaming more important news (Quora, 2017).

In the last 50 years, the media influence has grown supportively with the advance of
technology, first there was the telegraph, then the radio, the newspaper, magazines, television
and now the internet. We live in a society that depends on information and
communication to keep moving in the right direction and do our daily activities like work,

3
entertainment, health care, education, personal relationships, traveling and anything else that
we have to do. In our work, we usually know what we have to do is based on our experience
and studies, however on our daily lives we rely on the media to get the current news and facts
about what is important and what we should be aware of. We have put our trust on the media
as an authority to give us news, entertainment, and education (Shabir, 2013, p10).

Mass media has a prominent role to play in modern society. It can bring about radical
changes and improve the social situation as it influences our social, civil, cultural, political,
economic and aesthetic outlook. Modernization has converted media into an indispensable
feature of human activity. However, factors like age, education, economic condition, personal
needs and availability of proper components decide the quantum and frequency of media use.
This is evident from the fact that most media centers are located in urban areas. The majority of
consumers of media products are also concentrated in and around cities and towns (Shabir, 2013,
p19).

The influence of media on society has been growing fast renewals in the community.
Renewal of the intangible changes nothing and there are negative toward the positive direction.
Media influence is related to other aspects such as the nature of a communicator, the content
information from the media itself, as well as responses from the community (Paul et.al, 2013,
p8).

Consciously or unconsciously, people are often influenced by mass media, such as

persuading the media to use a particular product or indirectly persuaded to support a particular
political ideology or political party. Consciously or unconsciously the mass media has become an
important part of community life. Through media, we can learn many things that can be made a
lesson. News about the events that occurred abroad and domestic to know quickly and easily
through the mass media. This is because the mass media have the ability to deliver information
effectively (Paul et.al, 2013).

According to Gene Youngblood (1977, p7-14), Mass media refers to communication devices,
which can be used to communicate and interact with a large number of audiences in different
languages. Be it the pictorial messages of the early ages, or the high-technology media that are
available today, one thing that we all agree upon is that mass media are an inseparable part of our

4
lives. Entertainment and media always go hand in hand, but in addition to entertainment, mass
media also remains to be an effective means of communication, spreading information,
advertising, marketing, and in general, of expressing and sharing views, opinions, and ideas.
There are several types of Mass Media.

1.2.1 Print Media

Print media encompasses mass communication through printed material. It includes

newspapers, magazines, booklets and brochures, house magazines, periodicals or newsletters,
direct mailers, handbills or flyers, billboards, press releases, and books (George et al, 2006, p 5).

1.2.2 Electronic Media

According to Thompson (1995, p 9), Electronic media is the kind of media which
requires the user to utilize an electric connection to access it. It is also known as 'Broadcast
Media'. It includes television, radio, and new-age media like the Internet, computers, telephones,
etc.

1.2.3 New Age Media

New age Media: With the advent of the Internet, we are now enjoying the benefits of
high technology mass media, which is not only faster than the old school mass media but also
has a widespread range. Mobile phones, computers, and the Internet are often referred to as the
new-age media. The Internet has opened up several new opportunities for mass communication
which include email, websites, podcasts, e-forums, e-books, blogging, Internet TV and
many others, which are booming today. The Internet has also started social networking sites
which have redefined mass communication altogether. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and
YouTube have made a communication to the masses all the more entertaining, interesting, and
easier (Gurevitch et al, 2000, p 24).

1.3 Statement of the problem

The mass media and all media, in general, have a heavy influence and impact on
individuals and society, as many people rely on the media as a source of information without
even thinking whether it is true or not. Furthermore, the media is a very powerful weapon that
can quickly change people's perspectives and beliefs in few minutes, for instance a news

5
report concerning Israeli and Palestinian conflict many cover and focus only on one side of the
story and ignore or fail to mention the other part which will make the viewer‘s pity with one side
and neglect the other side. Moreover, nowadays news presenters and commentators start giving
their own opinions which are somehow positive but when it comes to a sensitive subject they
should be careful as many people take their opinions as the final truth, as a result, they maintain
false idea regarding a certain topic.

1.4 Objectives of the study

 To determine the role of mass media in public awareness.

 To analyze the main objectives of mass media in people‘s lives.
 To know about the beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes of people towards mass media.
 To know about the positive as well as negative effects of mass media on people.
 To analyze that how mass media negatively impacted us.

1.5 Significance of the study

The study is significant because mass media is the topic that needs to be extensively
analyzed. The study will create awareness among the students, teachers, and parents about the
phenomenon of mass media and its impacts on public opinion. Through the results of the study,
the respondents will be benefited as they will know the role of mass media and its effects on their
learning abilities and social life. The study will present a clear picture of the recent situation in
the area under study. The results of the research will help teachers and students to know about
the mass media and their role in the shaping of public opinion. The recommendations of the
study will help the government to reshape the structure and function of mass media. The results
of the study will help teachers in knowing students behavior related problems. This study will
open new channels towards much-needed area to be discovered. The results of the study will
give a new insight to the researcher. This study helps in knowing the role of mass media in
shaping public opinion and tries to find the remedy in lessening the effects of it. The information
of the study suggested the positive role of the media and the recommendations of the study will
help the research community to conduct research and fill the gaps which have needed to be more
explored.

6
 This study will therefore be important to government, civil servants, journalists, editors,

publishers, research students and also those that will like to carry further research on this field,

thereby creating the desired knowledge.

1.6 Delimitation of the study

The sample population is selected for this study is limited to the only University of
Malakand. Recent study covers specific area for specific problem (The role of mass media in
shaping of public opinion) not study the role of mass media all over the world but work on the
role of mass media in shaping of public opinion in Pakistan for that purpose we have specify
University of Malakand, So the scope of the inquiry focuses on limited boundaries which state
the selected aspects of phenomena.

1.7 Organization of the study

Chapter one provides a background of the study, Objectives of the study, Delimitation of
the study, and significance of the study. Chapter two outlines the literature review, in which there
is information regarding mass media. Chapter three outlines the research design and
methodology used for purposes of completing the study. It also describes target population, data
collection instruments, Sampling and Area profile. Chapter four contains data analysis, Which
contains two sections, Section ―A‖ contains case studies, and section ―B‖ contains the findings of
interviews. While chapter five provides a summary, conclusion, suggesstions and
recommendations.

1.8 Theoretical frame work

Agenda-setting theory was formally developed by Max Mccombs and Donald Shaw in a
study on the 1968 American presidential election (Hadeshian, 2006).

According to This theory “Media influence affects the order of presentation in news
reports about news events, issues in the public mind. More importance to a news-more
importance attributed by audience. Media Priorities It says what people should think about
and how people should think about” (Happer et al. 2010).

7
 Agenda-setting theory describes the "ability of the news media (Mass media) to
influence the salience of topics on the public agenda”. With agenda setting being a social
science theory, it also attempts to make predictions. That is, if a news item is covered
frequently and prominently, the audience will regard the issue as more important, and
public opinion are builds frequently (Hadeshian, 2006).

1.9 Conceptual frame work

Mass media

Mass media means technology that is intended to reach a mass audience. It is the primary
means of communication used to reach the vast majority of the general public. The most
common platforms for mass media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the
Internet. The general public typically relies on the mass media to provide information regarding
political issues, social issues, entertainment, and news in popular culture (Awatade, 2014).

Public opinion

Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult
population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many
different people and the sum of all their views (Peters, 1985.p45).

Audience

A part of the general public interested in a source of information or entertainment (word

web, 2017).

Print media

Print media encompasses mass communication through printed material. It includes newspapers,
magazines, booklets and brochures, house magazines, periodicals or newsletters, direct
mailers, handbills or flyers, billboards, press releases, and books (George et al, 2006,p 5).

Cinema

A medium that disseminates moving pictures (Google, 2017).

8
Electronic media

According to Thompson (1995, p 9) Electronic media is the kind of media which requires the
user to utilize an electric connection to access it. It is also known as 'Broadcast Media'. It
includes television, radio, and new-age media like the Internet, computers, telephones, etc.

Radio

An electronic receiver that detects and demodulates and amplifies transmitted signals (word web,
2017).

Television

A telecommunication system that transmits images of objects (stationary or moving) between

distant points (Wikipedia, 2017).

Internet

A computer networking consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the
TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange (Thompson, 1995, p7).

Electronic book

A book available in electronic form (e.g. for download from the internet) (Oxford, 2017).

Technology

The practical application of Science to commerce or industry. Or the Art of making things is
called technology (word web, 2017).

Information

A collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn (Oxford, 2017).

Social Persuasion

Persuasion is a form of social influence in which an audience is intentionally encouraged to

adopt an idea, attitude, or course of action by symbolic means (word web, 2017).

9
Chapter # 2
Literature Review
2.1 Mass media

Mass media is a term denoting that section of the media specifically designed to reach a
very large audience (typically at least as large as the whole population of a nation-state), today
including not only radio and television, which tend to be limited to the local or national level, but
also the Internet, which is global (Awatade, 2014, p5).

It was coined in the 1920s, with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-
circulation newspapers, and magazines, especially in the United States, although mass media was
present centuries before the term became common. The mass media audience has been viewed
by some as forming a "mass society" with special characteristics, notably atomization or lack of
social connections, which render it especially susceptible to the influence of modern mass media
techniques of persuasion such as advertising and propaganda (Murshed, 2014, p7).

Mass media can be one of the hardest forms of media within which to decipher what is
true and what is not. Given that mass media penetrates the whole of society, its reach and
influence is immense. Therefore, the responsibility of those participating in this type of
communication is also great, as the future direction of human society could well be guided by the
mass media (Gurevitch et al, 2000, p 24).

According to Gene Youngblood(1977, p7-14) Mass media refers to communication

devices, which can be used to communicate and interact with a large number of audiences in
different languages. Be it the pictorial messages of the early ages, or the high-technology media
that are available today, one thing that we all agree upon, is that mass media are an
inseparable part of our lives. Entertainment and media always go hand in hand, but in addition
to entertainment, mass media also remains to be an effective means of communication,
spreading information, advertising, marketing, and in general, of expressing and sharing views,
opinions, and ideas. There are several types of Mass Media.

10
2.1.1 Print Media

Print media encompasses mass communication through printed material. It includes newspapers,
magazines, booklets and brochures, house magazines, periodicals or newsletters, direct
mailers, handbills or flyers, billboards, press releases, and books (George et al, 2006,p 5).

Newspapers: Newspapers enjoyed the position of the most preferred medium to reach a wider
audience until electronic communication emerged on the media scene. In the early days,
newspapers were the only medium that masses at large depended on, for daily news. A
newspaper carries all kinds of communication related to a variety of topics like politics,
current affairs, entertainment, finance, stocks, etc. (Gurevitch et al, 2000, p 19).

Apart from this, it also includes topics which are in lighter vein like cartoons, crosswords,
Sudoku, movie reviews, book reviews, puzzles, crosswords, etc. This captivates the imagination
and interests of readers from all age groups. Newspapers are an important platform of mass
communication as they reach every nook and corner of the world where electronic media
fails to reach. It plays a pivotal role in providing authentic firsthand information, building
opinions, updating the knowledge of the reader, and serves as a good platform for advertisers to
promote their products. However, with the emergence of the Internet, which updates
information every second and is just a click away, the popularity of newspapers has
reduced (Stovall et al, 2005, p 7).

Magazines: Magazines are another type of popular culture print media. They usually cater to a
specific type of audience who are looking for information based on a particular subject.
Magazines cover a plethora of topics like current affairs, business, finance, consumers, gadgets,
self-help, luxury, lifestyle, beauty, fashion, entertainment, travel, etc. Magazines like TIME and
Reader‘s Digest include information which is all-pervasive (Gurevitch et al, 2000, p 20).

The frequency of magazines can be weekly, fortnightly, bi-monthly, quarterly, half-

yearly, or yearly. These magazines are the best forum for advertisers as they have a niche
readership. The readers look for a specific type of information, say for example, a camera ad in a
Gadget magazine will definitely have a direct brand impact on the reader who wants to buy a
camera. Also, the shelf life and brand recall of magazines is far better than newspapers
which have a short life span(Thompson, 1995, p 9).

11
Booklets and Brochures: Booklets and brochures are part of the promotional literature of a
product, or an organization. There are two types of booklets and brochures (ibid).

•Pre-buying promotion: Usually in malls and stores, promotional literature is distributed free
to all (with discount offers, or other schemes which seem profitable). For example, a free
booklet about cosmetics will include information about the products, latest trends, contents, the
benefits of using them, the available range, or colors, discount coupons, etc. This, will most
likely, have a positive impact on your decision-making (Stovall et al, 2005, p 7).

•Post-buying promotion: These booklets and brochures are usually given with a product for
better customer experience and easy usage post purchasing. You must have observed when
you buy any new item that it is usually accompanied with a small booklet giving details
about the benefits of using the product, usage directions, cleaning and storage instructions. The
guidelines are usually followed by a series of 'how to' images which facilitate easy information
about the product (Gurevitch et al, 2000, p 23).

These booklets may also include ‗Other offerings‘ section. Organizations also have their
own profiles in the form of brochures which they give to their stakeholders to create a favorable
image. It highlights the information about the company, its capacity and capability,
services and solutions offered milestone achievements, sustainability, innovation, awards, etc.
In this case people "do judge the book by its cover", and hence, these booklets and brochures
are designed in an attractive format using colors and photos(Gurevitch et al, 2000, p 24).

Billboards: Billboards are huge advertisements that are put up at a height in strategic locations
to draw more attention. They usually attract the target audience by their bold colors, attention-
grabbing headlines, creativity, designs, special effects, etc. Initially, billboards started by
hand painting huge boards, and eventually graduated to putting up printed sheets. Later
came a trend for incorporating neon signs, videos, and cut -outs which extend out from the
boards, 3D rubber, or plastic balloon objects, etc. Such billboards are called bulletins. They
command the best customer exposure. Communication in these types of billboards should be in
minimum words. The images should speak louder than the words. They are a successful medium
of communication as they are good at captivating and retaining customer‘s attention (Stovall et
al, 2005, p 7).

12
2.1.2 Electronic Media

According to Thompson (1995, p 9) Electronic media is the kind of media which requires the
user to utilize an electric connection to access it. It is also known as 'Broadcast Media'. It
includes television, radio, and new-age media like the Internet, computers, telephones, etc.

Television: Television appeals to both the auditory and visual senses, and hence is an
important communication device as it beholds the attention of the audience. For many
people, it is impossible to imagine a life without their television sets, be it the daily
news, or even the soap operas (Gurevitch et al, 2000, p 24).

Television has become an advertising hub where advertisers are ready to spend huge
amounts of money for an ad of a few seconds, especially for programs with high
viewership. An apt example would be Super Bowl Season. It offers various programs to appeal
to the masses of different age groups. It is a popular means of communication which provides
both information and entertainment. This category also includes electronic media like movies,
CDs and DVDs as well as the electronic gadgets (Thompson, 1995, p 9).

Radio: Radio has a significant reach. A considerable number of Americans tune into radio every
week while on their way to work. Advertising on the radio with catchy jingles and phrases is
a tried and tested means of communication. Radio lost its popularity with the boom of
television. But till day, radio remains one of the favorite means of electronic
communication. Moreover, it is an interactive means of communication with all the dial -in
programs which give the listeners an opportunity to feature on radio (Keon et al, 2005, p 54).

2.1.3 New Age Media

New age Media: With the advent of the Internet, we are now enjoying the benefits of
high technology mass media, which is not only faster than the old school mass media, but
also has a widespread range. Mobile phones, computers, and the Internet are often referred to
as the new-age media (Gurevitch et al, 2000, p 30).

The Internet has opened up several new opportunities for mass communication
which include email, websites, podcasts, e-forums, e-books, blogging, Internet TV and
many others, which are booming today. The Internet has also started social networking sites

13
which have redefined mass communication all together. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and
YouTube have made communication to the masses all the more entertaining, interesting,
and easier (Gurevitch et al, 2000, p 24).

Mobile Phones: Mobile phones have become a boon to mankind. It has made communication
possible at any time, and from anywhere. Nowadays, a smart device like a mobile phone is
not only used for interaction, but also for other technical utilities like operating pumps
from remote locations, etc. You can also get alerts of your monetary transactions on a mobile
phone. About a decade ago, who would have thought of having the Internet on mobiles? Today,
we can stay in touch with the whole world via the Internet on our mobile phones (Stovall et al,
2005, p 7).

Computers: With the invention of computers the impossible has become possible. We
virtually get information about everything from pin to piano with the help of computers. It has
added speed and multimedia to the information which was earlier available only in the print
format. Also, anyone can voice their opinions through computers. Computers have added a new
breakthrough in the mass media by combining human intelligence with the cutting edge
technology (Keun et al, 2005, p 54).

The Internet: This is the most important device of the new age media. The discovery of the
Internet can be called the biggest invention in mass media. In earlier days, news used to
reach people only with the morning newspaper. But today, live updates reach us
simultaneously as the events unfold. For example, the royal wedding of Kate Middleton and
Prince William was watched live on the Internet by millions of people around the world.
(Keun et al, 2005, p 55).

The Internet has inspired interaction and connectivity through its social networking
medium. It has become one of the core means of mass communication. We cannot think of
leading our lives without it. Let us see how the Internet impacts mass communication through the
following mediums (ibid).

14
2.2 History of major institutions of Mass media

2.2.1 A brief history of Television

In March 1935 a television service was started in Berlin (180 lines/frame, 25

frames/second). Pictures were produced on film and then scanned using a rotating disk.
Electronic cameras were developed in 1936, in time for the Berlin Olympic Games. November
1935. Television broadcasting began in Paris, again using a mechanical system for picture
analysis (180 lines/frame, 25 frames/second). That same year, spurred on by the work of
Schoenberg, the EMI Company in England developed a fully electronic television system with
405-line definition, 25 frames/second, and interlace (Peters, 1985.p29).

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to the
magic of television..." - with those words Leslie Mitchell introduced Britain's first high-
definition public television program from Radiolympia. The date was 26th August 1936. On
November 2nd 1936 the world's first regular high definition service began transmitting to
the 100 or so TV sets available in Britain (Mockba, 2012, p12).

2.2.2 History of television in Pakistan

On 26th November 1964, Pakistan Television aired its first show from the Lahore Station.
Pakistan imported experimental Japanese technological equipment for initiating this. The first
two stations that were opened were in Lahore and Dhaka, the former on 26th November 1964 and
the latter on 25th December 1964. The shows were mostly concentrated around news programs
and information and were aired only for three hours daily. On Saturdays they were off hence no
broadcasting was done. It was late on from Karachi station that dramas and soap operas started
thanks to Shafi Muhammad and Qaiser Nazamani (Wikipedia, 2017).

Originally a private sector project in 1961 by prominent industrialist Syed Wajjid Ali who signed
a joint venture agreement with Nipon Electric Company (NEC), leading Pakistani engineer
Ubaidur Rahman was appointed by Wajjid Ali to head the television project. By 1962, after a
series of pilot transmission tests, the project was quickly taken over by the Ayub
Khan Government in 1963 for the "greater national interest of Pakistan" (IMS, 2009. P17).

15
President Ayub Khan re-appointed Ubaidur Rahman in 1963 under the Ministry of Information
to continue with the NEC joint venture collaboration to launch Pakistan Television or PTV. The
project began with a tent on the back lot of Radio Pakistan Lahore where a transmission tower
and a studio were constructed. On November 26, 1964 the first official television station
commenced transmission broadcasts from LAHORE, followed by Dhaka in 1965 (then the
capital of East Pakistan). A third centre was established in Rawalpindi-Islamabad in 1965 and
the fourth in Karachi in 1966. Later centres in Peshawar and Quetta were established by 1974
(IMS, 2009. P18).

Originally broadcast in black and white, PTV began color transmission in 1976. With
this new upgrade in techniques and equipment, the Pakistan Television Academy was founded
and opened in 1987 to teach students who wished to work in the medium. As with the other
agreement, the government financed most of the funds while the private venture capitalists
offered to fund the remainder. Late 1980s morning transmission started on PTV. In 1972, a
building was constructed for PTV exclusively which was inaugurated by the president of the
time himself, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (Mockba, 2012, p12).

Tariq Aziz made the first announcement on it. Several other well renowned personalities
surfaced with this growing popularity Nisar Hussain, Aslam Azhar, Jamil Afridi, and
Shahanshah Nawab and so on. The first colored transmission to be aired by Pakistan television
was in 1982 in a drama in which Khalid Riyasat and Asif Raza gave a stunning performance.
After the formation of Bangladesh (former East Pakistan), Pakistan was left with only five
stations in Quetta, Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. Through these stations, different
talk shows, sports programs, children programs, entertainment programs and informational
programs were aired. PTV slowly and gradually started gaining popularity with its constant
improvement in performance that soon it was being aired in 32 other countries through the help
of satellites (IMS, 2009. P15).

2.2.3 A brief history of newspaper

The earliest variation on a newspaper was a daily sheet published in 59 BC in Rome

called Acta Diurna (Daily Events), which Julius Caesar ordered to beposted throughout the
city. The earliest known printed newspaper was in Beijing in 748. The history of newspapers is

16
an often-dramatic chapter of the human experience going back some five centuries. In
Renaissance Europe handwritten newsletters circulated privately among merchants, passing
along information about everything from wars and economic conditions to social customs and
"human interest" features (Lambert, 2012, p9).

The first printed forerunners of the newspaper appeared in Germany in the late 1400's in
the form of news pamphlets or broadsides, often highly sensationalized in content. Some of the
most famous of these report the atrocities against Germans in Transylvania perpetrated by a
sadistic veovod named Vlad Tsepes Drakul, who became the Count Dracula of later folklore.
Newspapers began circulating in the 17th century. The first real newspaper in England was
printed in 1665. The first successful daily newspaper in Britain was printed in 1702. The first
American newspaper was printed in 1690. It was called Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and
Domestick. The first newspaper in Canada was the Halifax Gazette in 1752. The first daily
American newspaper was published in 1783 (Mockba, 2012, p12).

In the 20th century newspapers became still more common. The Daily Mail was first
published in 1896, The Daily Express was first published in 1900 and the Daily Mirror began
publication in 1903. In 1964 The Daily Herald became The Sun and The Daily Star was founded
in 1978. Meanwhile The Sunday Telegraph was founded in 1961 and in 1962 The Sunday Times
became the first newspaper to publish a Sunday color supplement. The Mail on Sunday began in
1982. The Independent was first published in 1986. Also in 1986 Today became the first color
newspaper in Britain. (Lambert, 2012, p7).

2.2.4 History of newspaper in Pakistan

In 1947, only four major Muslim-owned newspapers existed in the area now called
Pakistan: Pakistan Times, Zamindar, Nawa-i-Waqt, and Civil-Military Gazette. A number of
Muslim papers and their publishers moved to Pakistan, including Dawn, which began publishing
daily in Karachi in 1947, the Morning News, and the Urdu-language dailies Jang and Anjam. By
the early 2000s, 1,500 newspapers and journals existed in Pakistan the media in Pakistan dates
back to pre-partition years of British India, where a number of newspapers were established to
promote a communalistic or partition agenda (Mockba, 2012, p12).

17
 The newspaper Dawn, founded by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and first published in 1941,
was dedicated to promoting for an independent Pakistan. The conservative newspaper, Nawa-i-
Waqt, established in 1940 was the mouthpiece of the Muslim elites who were among the
strongest supporters for an independent Pakistan. In a sense, Pakistani print media came into
existence with a mission to promulgate the idea of Pakistan, which was seen as the best national
option for the Muslim minority in British India and as a form of self-defense against suppression
from the Hindu majority (Naveed, 2009, p30).

2.2.5 A brief history of Radio

In 1894 the young Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi began working on the idea of
building a commercial wireless telegraphy system based on the use of Hertzian waves (radio
waves), a line of inquiry that he noted other inventors did not seem to be pursuing. Marconi read
through the literature and used the ideas of others who were experimenting with radio waves but
did a great deal to develop devices such as portable transmitters and receiver systems that could
work over long distances, turning what was essentially a laboratory experiment into a useful
communication system (Peters, 1985.p29).

By August 1895 Marconi was field testing his system but even with improvements he
was only able to transmit signals up to one-half mile, a distance Oliver Lodge had predicted in
1894 as the maximum transmission distance for radio waves. Marconi raised the height of his
antenna and hit upon the idea of grounding his transmitter and receiver. With these
improvements the system was capable of transmitting signals up to 2 miles (3.2 km) and over
hills. Marconi's experimental apparatus proved to be the first engineering-complete,
commercially successful radio transmission system. Marconi‘s apparatus is also credited with
saving the 700 people who survived the tragic Titanic disaster (Mockba, 2012, p12).

In 1896, Marconi was awarded British patent 12039, Improvements in transmitting

electrical impulses and signals and in apparatus there-for, the first patent ever issued for a
Hertzian wave (radio wave) base wireless telegraphic system. In 1897, he established a radio
station on the Isle of Wight, England. Marconi opened his "wireless" factory in the former silk-
works at Hall Street, Chelmsford, England in 1898, employing around 60 people. Shortly after
the 1900s, Marconi held the patent rights for radio. Marconi would go on to win the Nobel Prize

18
in Physics in 1909 and be more successful than any other inventor in his ability to commercialize
radio and its associated equipment into a global business. In the US some of his subsequent
patented refinements (but not his original radio patent) would be overturned in a 1935 court case
(upheld by the US Supreme Court in 1943) (ibid).

2.2.6 History of radio in Pakistan

The government-owned Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) was formed on 14

August 1947, the day of Pakistani independence. It was a direct descendant of the Indian
Broadcasting Company, which later became All India Radio. At independence, Pakistan had
radio stations in Dhaka, Lahore, and Peshawar. A major program of expansion saw new stations
open at Karachi and Rawalpindi in 1948, and a new broadcasting house at Karachi in 1950. This
was followed by new radio stations at Hyderabad (1951), Quetta (1956), a second station at
Rawalpindi (1960), and a receiving center at Peshawar (1960). During the 1980s and 1990s the
corporation expanded its network to many cities and towns of Pakistan to provide greater service
to the local people (Mockba, 2012, p12).

In October 1998, Radio Pakistan started its first FM transmission. Today, there are over a
hundred public and private radio stations due to more liberal media regulations. FM broadcast
licenses are awarded to parties that commit to open FM broadcasting stations in at least one rural
city along with the major city of their choice. The press is much more restricted in the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), where independent radio is allowed only with permission
from the government (Noorani, 2014, p 9).

2.2.7 History of internet

The history of the Internet begins with the development of electronic computers in the
1950s. Initial concepts of packet networking originated in several computer science laboratories
in the United States, United Kingdom, and France (Lambert, 2012, p7).

The US Department of Defense awarded contracts as early as the 1960s for packet
network systems, including the development of the ARPANET. The first message was sent over
the ARPANET from computer science Professor Leonard Kleinrock's laboratory at University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to the second network node at Stanford Research Institute

19
(SRI). Packet switching networks such as ARPANET, NPL network, CYCLADES, Merit
Network, Tymnet, and Telenet, were developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s using a variety
of communications protocols (Peters, 1985.p29).

Donald Davies first designed a packet-switched network at the National Physics

Laboratory in the UK, which became a testbed for UK research for almost two decades. The
ARPANET project led to the development of protocols for internetworking, in which multiple
separate networks could be joined into a network of networks. Access to the ARPANET was
expanded in 1981 when the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded the Computer Science
Network (CSNET). In 1982, the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) was introduced as the standard
networking protocol on the ARPANET (Peters, 1985.p30).

In the early 1980s the NSF funded the establishment for national supercomputing centers
at several universities, and provided interconnectivity in 1986 with the NSFNET project, which
also created network access to the supercomputer sites in the United States from research and
education organizations. Commercial Internet service providers (ISPs) began to emerge in the
very late 1980s. The ARPANET was decommissioned in 1990. Limited private connections to
parts of the Internet by officially commercial entities emerged in several American cities by late
1989 and 1990, and the NSFNET was decommissioned in 1995, removing the last restrictions on
the use of the Internet to carry commercial traffic (ibid).

In the 1980s, research at CERN in Switzerland by British computer scientist Tim

Berners-Lee resulted in the World Wide Web, linking hypertext documents into an information
system, accessible from any node on the network. Since the mid-1990s, the Internet has had a
revolutionary impact on culture, commerce, and technology, including the rise of near-instant
communication by electronic mail, instant messaging, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
telephone calls, two-way interactive video calls, and the World Wide Web with its discussion
forums, blogs, social networking, and online shopping sites (Mockba, 2012, p12).

The research and education community continues to develop and use advanced networks
such as NSF's very high speed Backbone Network Service (vBNS), Internet2, and National
Lambda Rail. Increasing amounts of data are transmitted at higher and higher speeds over fiber
optic networks operating at 1-Gbit/s, 10-Gbit/s, or more. The Internet's takeover of the global

20
communication landscape was almost instant in historical terms: it only communicated 1% of the
information flowing through two-way telecommunications networks in the year 1993, already
51% by 2000, and more than 97% of the telecommunicated information by 2007. Today the
Internet continues to grow, driven by ever greater amounts of online information, commerce,
entertainment, and social networking (Elgar, 2005, p 51-55).

2.3 Historical Evolution of mass Communications

The history of mass media can be traced back to the days when dramas were performed
in various ancient cultures. This was the first time when a form of media was "broadcast" to a
wider audience. The first dated printed book known is the "Diamond Sutra", printed in China in
868 AD, although it is clear that books were printed earlier. Movable clay type was invented in
1041 in China (Hadeshian, 2006, p 4).

The invention of the printing press in the late 15th century gave rise to some of the first
forms of mass communication, by enabling the publication of books and newspapers on a scale
much larger than was previously possible (Happer et al, 2010, p 79).

The phrase "the media" began to be used in the 1920s. The notion of "mass media" was
generally restricted to print media up until the post-Second World War, when radio, television
and video were introduced (Boykoff, 2011, p 102).

The audio-visual facilities became very popular, because they provided both information
and entertainment, because the color and sound engaged the viewers/listeners and because it was
easier for the general public to passively watch TV or listen to the radio than to actively read. In
recent times, the Internet become the latest and most popular mass medium. Information has
become readily available through websites, and easily accessible through search engines. One
can do many activities at the same time, such as playing games, listening to music, and social
networking, irrespective of location. Whilst other forms of mass media are restricted in the type
of information they can offer, the internet comprises a large percentage of the sum of human
knowledge through such things as Google Books. Modern day mass media consists of the
internet, mobile phones, and blogs etc. (Azam, 2008, p 67)

21
 During the 20th century, the growth of mass media was driven by technology, including
that which allowed much duplication of material. Physical duplication technologies such as
printing, record pressing and film duplication allowed the duplication of books, newspapers and
movies at low prices to huge audiences. Radio and television allowed the electronic duplication
of information for the first time. Mass media had the economics of linear replication: a single
work could make money (Graber, 1988, p 179).

In The beginning of the 1 9 0 0‘s, the media consisted mainly of newspapers and various
periodicals. Newspapers and magazines dominated the media in the second decade of the 20th
century. In 1900, there was no radio, television or internet; newspapers dominated the media
market, with virtually no competition. Today, using available technology, such as the internet,
we can communicate with one another anywhere on Earth, or Space, instantly (McQuai, 1993, p
123).

In the 1940‘s Radio became the dominant form of media during and after World War II,
as it could provide war information much faster than newspapers, and people desired current
news of the war situation and of their relatives fighting overseas. However newspapers still
supplied daily information and advertising (Elisabeth, 1984, p 168).

In the 1950‘s Television came to dominate the media industry in 1950. Radio and print
media was to compete with television that seemed to give the best of both media: pictures and
sound. With the advent of television in the 1950s, print media and radio were forced to rethink
their approaches towards news and entertainment. Satellite Communications. In 1962, with the
communications satellite Telstar I in space, followed by other satellites, news reports from
around the world could be transmitted directly, giving television unprecedented power to
communicate major world events in real-time(Callahan,2003, p 18).

In the 1980‘s there was an explosive growth of the media in the 1980s, especially
television. Satellite television reported events across the world live. With competition from 24-
hour cable television news, many newspapers disappeared. Cable news and subscription cable
television also rose in popularity, competing with network television (McQuai, 1993, p 123).

22
2.4 The role of mass media in Pakistan

Since 2000, Pakistani mass media has become a very powerful and independent
communicative tool guiding our society. Currently, a sea of Pakistani TV channels is composed
of a total of 89 TV channels broadcasting nationwide to selective audience of their choice.
Pakistani media reflects expanded multi-ethnic and multi linguistic dynamic landscape where it
enjoys relative freedom of expression up to some extent on one side. On the other side, it is run
by popular minority elite in close association with politically biased and unprofessional mafias
(Azam, 2008, p 89).

Like other national departments, Pakistani mass media is on the brink of national demise
on many fronts. Whether we talk on professional competence or code of conduct or selection of
content or functionality behavior against national interests or national values, Pakistani mass
media is justified on these violated critical issues and goes boundless (Sadia, 2011, p 102).

Some TV channels are funded by foreign vested interests and give an impression that
these channels are the only savior of promoting your cultural values and political national
interests in Pakistan. Simultaneously, few TV channels are too sympathetic with selective
political parties and business elite. Keep in mind that this is the only country in the world where
few private TV channels (and their anchors) have a strategic policy to malign, degrade and bring
down the importance of our national military and people in uniform at their best (Happer et al,
2010, p 188).

Previously, a gunman in Islamabad ―holding Islamabad as hostage for few hours‖ found
himself at the epicenter of a mass media circus and then many TV channels presented this drama
as a golden lasting opportunity and this thriller was directly covered by many TV channels.
Many still believe that off-camera activity might have resulted in easily persuading him to lay
down his arms in rather short period of time (Peters, 1985.p93).

The role of TV anchors and their professional competence is extremely critical and needs
to be checked since these personalities directly connect the mass media to the people at large.
Many of these desperately lack professional presentational skills, and violate the code of conduct
while appearing on live TV shows. For example, they consume most of the time by themselves,
asking either lengthy questions or inducing their own judgment on special topic and leave little

23
time behind for guests who have been invited to speak that special topic. Similarly, they openly
laugh, make fun and use Punjabi abusive slangs (or make jokes) on live TV shows broadcasted
in Urdu language. With selected content in mind, anchors are seen pre-decided to press hard
selected guests on special topics, supportive to few other personalities and give them freehand in
the TV shows (naveed, 2009, p30).

A TV talk show is normally held for a limited period of time (say about 40 min) and three
to five guests in average are routinely invited plus one or two are further included through phone
calls. This loses the spirit of presenting objective discussion with too many guests, unlimited
amount of questions and with too little answers in very short period of time. Regrettable to say
that few anchors have sectarian bias mindset and use very harsh language against religious
scholars that do not belong to their sect. Moreover few analysts/anchors also present very
aggressive attitude witnessed through their body language against religious scholars when they
appear on TV shows only because they themselves belong to the minority social class which is
not acceptable to our Muslim society (Boykoff, 2011, p309).

Anchors quite often choose and invite personalities with two extreme mindsets and
induce impulsive ingredients in the talk show in such a way that allows and provokes guests to
fight rather than talk objectively. This is considered one key methodology to enhance the rating
of a TV show. All in all, a total of about 20-30 personalities (religious and political) are
repeatedly visible and routinely invited to TV shows and neglecting vast majority of true
professional experts serving for this nation in different fields either in universities or in other
research institutes. On the other side, few young political guests lack academic skill and use
harsh and aggressive language against their political opponents in live TV talk shows. This
should be monitored and checked by the mass media (naveed, 2009, p39).

TV media is further hijacked by very selective feudal and business political elite which is
visible frequently on different TV channels and give their opinion on strategic national and
international issues when they haven‘t gone through any learning process themselves and
desperately lack necessary academic abilities and information. Note that any person can be an
expert to give objective opinion in one field (religion /economics /science /political science
/sociology /energy /medicine) but not on many topics that have not been even touched by him

24
(naveed, 2009, p43).

Whatever your topic on a specific day is about, few very selective political guests are
repeatedly invited. How is it possible that an MNA/MPA is eligible to speak on current national
and international issues when he himself is a part of a problem and simultaneously shed light on
possible solutions when anchors already know that he is fraudulent personality judged through
his historical image and has repeatedly been lying to the nation? The same argument applies to a
few cricket personalities who have been proved by the national and international court of justice
of their possible involvement in cricket corruption. Why such personalities are projected again as
national heroes on TV shows (Azam, 2008, p92).

Note that mass media information reflects a deep impact on society by and large and
should be instrumental in creating the popularly accepted social norms in society where the most
critical obligation of mass media is not only to act as the true custodian of facts and figures but
also expose the hidden truths embedded in society. Thus, the role and objectives of mass media,
and their associated anchors in Pakistan is now increasingly becoming questionable (naveed,
2009, p42).

Unfortunately, there is no single university or academic organization in the country to

produce skilled human capital for mass media in Pakistani market. While TV anchors need
professional skills and training, they should also be flexible to the choice of guests in their TV
shows. Here, unbiased professional experts of various fields should be invited in their TV shows
for debating and exploiting different topics. So, there is an urgent need to filter out our mass
media first from invited political thieves who are not only a part of the problem in Pakistan but
also present a barrier to our socio-economic growth and development. Like independent
judiciary in any civilized country, mass media should behave and function independently and of
course free from all political pressure (Elisabeth, 1984, p174).

2.5 Factors for growth of media in Pakistan

Mass media is wholesaler of mass Communication. Pak inherited 05 radio channel son its
birth. International Trend played important role in development of Mass Media in Pakistan.
Initial decades of Pakistani Media‘s history have been dominated by PTV (Naveed, 2009, p78-
82).

25
 According to Muhammad Naveed (2009, p78-82).Government was compelled to permit
freedom of media. The following factors are responsible for the growth of mass media in
Pakistan.

 Liberalization of airway in India led to mushroom growth of TV channels

 In Kargil war India was able to sell its viewpoint to the world and cashed on its version
while Pak suffered since it had only the state channel.
 Economic boom in telecom in Pakistan. Commercial nature of Media was discovered in
the economic advantages related to it. Revenue generated by Media in 2002 was 2 billion
and in 2007 this soared to Rs. 17 Billion.
 Literacy rate / level grew in Pakistan and played a role in media development.
 Arrival of cable operators / network and its growth held vision.
 Govt policies played vital role, especially of President Musharraf.
 Javed Jabbar.Said ―Media is more powerful then nuclear devices‖ he worked on PEMRA
 Private sector was involved and posed challenge to state media. State Media to compete
with Pvt Media has to improve and become more open and provide realistic stories, this
reformed the State Media as well since realistic input was being provided by the Pvt
Media (Naveed, 2009, p78-82).
 Pak Media Market was in raw form and was untapped; it had the potential to grow.
Phenomenon of community based radio channels i.e. FM channel, community based
Services (print / elect) have played important role in media development (ibid).
 Number of Press Media / Printing groups were permitted and have launched their TV
channels e.g. Jang Group – Geo, etc (ibid)
 Mass media is the major source of providing news and entertainment to the people who
wants to know who is doing what and what is happening. Aristotle in his book ―Poetics‖
has written that ―Media is a means of catharsis and is must for normal living‖ (ibid).
 The entertainment and news value of media has played very important role its
development. However, electronic media enjoys larger scope over print media, since it
has wider audience, is easily accessible and be understood by even illiterate people. The
media provides wide range of entertainment / news according to interest of people of
different age groups / liking / languages. Talk Shows Mania has brought more

26
 liberalization and has revolutionized the concept since erstwhile taboo issues are being
discussed enhancing the awareness of people (Zafar, 2013, p54).
 The realization in the people and Government about the role of media in society /
economic development is there. Indian soap operas have a large viewer ship and their
popularity has attracted lots of commercials / advertisement. The commercial aspects
attached to the media have contributed to its rapid development (ibid).
 The Infrastructure Development has taken place. Modern state of art studios /introduction
of latest equipment / communication facilities like video conferencing, fax, electronic
data transfer, chat / mobiles, etc have brought in a revolution and contributed immensely
in the media development (Zubair, 2010).
 The advertisement / commercials have brought big money to media market. The contents
of programmes are changing. The high economic stakes attached to the media have
brought in Professionalism in all its related fields. Due open market, there is a Scarcity of
professional media men (Sabir, 2010, p32)
 The abundance of media outlets has on one hand has created lot of employment
opportunities but on the other has posed challenges to the media men to excel in their
fields. Jang Group has more than 50,000 employees; media persons are getting enhanced
wages. Today we have number of highly professional and well-known media persons
who are stalwarts of Pakistani Media and form its backbone (Azam, 2008, p45).
 Dozens Of other factors have played role in the development of Pakistani Media. It has
been a ―watchdog‖ on actions of the state, people strengthened the media. Media has
played important role in discussing un-touched subjects. It has helped harmonizing the
nation on otherwise contentious issues. The competition among the channels is bringing
in qualitative improvement in the content and other aspects of programs (Naeem, 2010,
p17).

2.6 Some positive aspects of Pakistani media

2.6.1 Level of Awareness

The level of awareness has increased. Media has contributed a lot in increasing the
general knowledge, who is who and what is what, knowledge of current issues etc. The

27
programmers having media discussions, current affairs, documentaries, etc have been
instrumental in enhancing the common man‘s awareness (naveed, 2009, p29).

2.6.2 Development Efforts of State

Media has assisted in development efforts of state .Programmers like ―Parah Likha
Punjab‖, ―Coverage of Earthquake‖, have contributed in projecting efforts being made towards
state development (Azam, 2008, p 89).

2.6.3 Development of Public Opinion

Media discussion / other programmes highlight the issues, hold cross-discussions, and
identify what are reasons / angles of different interest groups / people. Stances of different
segments of society on key issues are brought out it helps make / develop public opinion on
different issues (Sabir, 2010, p21)

2.6.4 Helps in Educational Efforts

Media is also used by the state / society /organizations to promote educational activity.
AIOU use media (Internet) for education, and many other Universities just like virtual university
use mass media for the educational efforts (Rahman, 2016).

2.6.5 Supports Democracy

Media supports democracy by bringing out the democratic norms and inculcating the
same in the general public / polity. Providing live coverage of parliament proceedings, activities
of politicians, programmes on democracies are few of the examples (Abedin, 2013).

2.6.6 Support to Public Issues / Affairs

Media provides viewpoint of the public on public issues. Media has given voice to the
public. Media is strengthening development in Pakistan. They has supported Democracy,
highlighted Public issues, given voice to neglected element of society, become entertainment
industry, And it satisfies all segments, age groups of our society (jafar, 2012, p34).

28
2.7 Certain negative role of Pakistani media

2.7.1 Consumerism

Our society is consuming all messages being spread by the Media. Media has made us a
talking nation, the Mobile Mania-kids, ladies, youngsters all are just talking on the mobile
phones. The effect of media is very strong with respect to advertisement on consumer products,
instead of being producer media has made us consumer (Sabir, 2012, p145).

2.7.2 Moral Vacuum

The dramas, programmes etc shown on media glamorize everything they depict, this has
created a moral vacuum and our younger generation is going away for our values (religious,
social) (Abedin, 2013).

2.7.3 Westernization

Western / Indian cultural invasion has taken place through media and is permeating
Pakistan society. Our commercials are depicting western values and causing a loss of national
identity. There are media talk shows on subjects including sex etc which otherwise are taboo in
our society (Zafar, 2013, p79).

2.7.4 Not Developing National Image

Our Media is blamed for not developing /projecting our national image. Our media at
times uses Indian language; projects Indian Stars in our ads, etc, the threats posed to our values
are immense and must be countered. Our country lacks a defined policy to promote national
image through media (Sabir, 2012, p145).

2.7.5 False Values

According to Shamshad Ahmad (2013) Pakistani Media is projecting false values in its
programmes, etc. The projection of family planning, love stories in dramas, hi-fi living styles /
material depicted in dramas, etc. are not real and are not based on ground realities. Media lacks
compact programmes to educate Pakistani nation. Projected values on media are not congruent
with our values / ground realities. It is actually projecting ‗False Values‘. Programmes / dramas

29
shown are exaggerated beyond imagination.

2.7.6 Manifestation of Interests

Media is negatively manipulating the interests of the people. People of Pakistan are yet
not critical / educated enough to realize this manipulation / twisting of facts. There is a famous
dictum that ―a lie spoken 100 times becomes greater than a truth‖ (Saeed, 2014).

2.7.7 Exaggeration

Pakistani media is also blamed for overwhelming negative Exaggeration. It glamorizes

issues, resorts to negative exaggeration of matters, newspaper headlines are depicting violence,
etc all this demoralizes the nation. At times news are given without authentication / confirmation.
Unethical material /photographs / scenes are shown on our media promoting vulgarization.
Media is damaging basic fiber of our nation and has created a crisis of misidentification (Khan,
2009).

2.7.8 Dangers to Socialization

We remain fixed to TV screens at the cost of socialization. We cut short our social
activities just to watch some favorite programmes on TV. We are not undertaking socialization /
giving time to our kids, parents, etc because we are glued to TV etc. This is developing a
generation gap. We are giving more time to TV channels and less time to social activity and a
sort of isolation is being developed (Ahmad,2013).

2.7.9 Sensationalizing / Creating Uncertainty

Our media sensationalize the issues / accidents / incidents. When too much of
information is available it creates confusion. Our media is broadcasting every type of
information at times even compromising the accuracy and is creating uncertainty (Sabir, 2012,
p140).

2.7.10 Overloaded with Information

According to Muhammad Azam (2008, p96).Pakistani Media is discussing so many of

topics are actually bombarding the audience with information. Media has flooded us with
information. This is psychologically not good for our scenes and disturbs our body functions.

30
Media is stuffing our minds with all types of information and has converted us into ‗generalist‘.
Media is misusing our energies.

Media has become corporate it possesses / uses lot of resources and has phenomenal
business / financial benefits attached to it, accordingly it bombards the viewers with information.
Different surveys are undertaken to find out various methods on how to attract the viewers /
readers. Media Marketing has converted us into recipient. Media is spending so much of money
on efforts to attract / enhance its viewer ship. Commercials breaks are introduced at the peak
points of programmes. Such commercials are very expensive (ibid)

2.8 Influence of mass media on society

The current level of media saturation has not always existed. As recently as the 1960s and
1970s, television, for example, consisted of primarily three networks, public broadcasting, and a
few local independent stations. These channels aimed their programming primarily at two‐
parent, middle‐class families. Even so, some middle‐class households did not even own a
television (White et al, 2009, p55).

Today, one can find a television in the poorest of homes, and multiple TVs in most
middle‐class homes. Not only has availability increased, but programming is increasingly diverse
with shows aimed to please all ages, incomes, backgrounds, and attitudes. This widespread
availability and exposure makes television the primary focus of most mass‐media discussions.
More recently, the Internet has increased its role exponentially as more businesses and
households ―sign on.‖ Although TV and the Internet have dominated the mass media, movies
and magazines—particularly those lining the aisles at grocery checkout stands—also play a
powerful role in culture, as do other forms of media (White et al, 2009, p56).

In the last five decades or so, the media and its influence on the societies, has grown
exponentially with the advance of technology. First there was the telegraph and the post offices,
then the radio, the newspaper, magazines, television and now the internet and the new media
including palmtops, cell phones etc. There are positive and negative influences of mass media,
which we must understand as a responsible person of a society (Christians, 2004, p28).

Before discussing the influence of mass media on society it is imperative to explain the

31
three basic functions of mass media; they are providing news/information, entertainment and
education. The first and foremost function of the media in a society is to provide news and
information to the masses, that is why the present era is some time termed as the information
age as well (Cohler et al, 1989, p279).

People need news/information for various reasons, on one hand it can be used to socialize
and on the other to make decisions and formulate opinions. Entertainment would be the other
function of the mass media where it is mostly used by the masses to amuse them in present day
hectic environment. Educating the masses about their rights, moral, social and religious
obligations is another important function of mass media, which needs no emphasis (Christians,
2004, p25).

In present era of globalization, majority of people in the society depends on information

and communication to remain connected with the world and do our daily activities like work,
entertainment, health care, education, socialization, travelling and anything else that we have to
do (Galtung, 1999, p21).

A common urban person usually wakes up in the morning checks the TV news or
newspaper, goes to work, makes a few phone calls, eats with their family or peers when possible
and makes his decisions based on the information that he has either from their coworkers, TV
news, friends, family, financial reports, etc. we need to be conscious of the reality that most of
our decisions, beliefs and values are based on what we know for a fact, our assumptions and our
own experience. In our work we usually know what we have to do, based on our experience and
studies, however on our routine life and house hold chores we mostly rely on the mass media to
get the current news and facts about what is important and what we should be aware of
(Christians, 2004, p25).

We have put our trust on the media as an authority to give us news, entertainment and
education. However, the influence of mass media on our kids, teenagers and society is so big that
we should know how it really works. The media makes billions of dollars with the advertising
they sell and that we are exposed to, every single moment. We buy what we are told to buy by
the media. After seeing thousands of advertising‘s we make our buying decisions based on what
we saw on TV, newspapers or magazines. These are the effects of mass media especially in

32
teenagers, they buy what they see on TV, what their favorite celebrity advertise and what is
acceptable by society based on the fashion that the media has imposed on them (White et al,
2009, p51).

There are some positive and negative influences in young people of our society due to
these ad campaigns in the media. Here is a positive influence example, if there is a quiz show on
education that is getting a lot of attention by the media and gains popularity among your friends
and society, you will more likely want to actively participate and watch these quiz shows. These
activities are good for the society and will promote literary activities in the youth. However a
negative influence in teenagers is the use of guns and ammunition by celebrity movie stars, the
constant exposure of which would seduce the teen to replicate the same behavior in the real life
(Ahmad, 2013).

When we watch TV or an action movie we usually see many images of violence and
people hurting others. The problem with this is that it can become traumatic especially in our
children as they see it more and more. Our kids that are starting to grow and are shaping their
personality values and beliefs can become aggressive or they can lose a sense of distinction
between reality and fiction. Another problem is that real war is used as a form of entertainment
by the media, we should make our kids and teen aware that war is not a form of entertainment
and that there is no win or lose like in video games, in real war everyone lose (Sabir, 2012,
p146).

Teens, youngsters are in a stage of life where they want to be accepted by their peers,
they want to be loved and be successful. The media creates the ideal image of beautiful men and
women with all the ingredients of a successful person, you can see it in movies and TV. It‘s a
subliminal way to persuade the masses that if you want to be successful and look like them then
you have to buy that particular brand or product. Another negative influence in teenagers,
especially in the USA, that has grown over the last years is obesity. There are millions of
adolescents fighting obesity, but at the same time they are exposed to thousands of
advertisements of junk food, while the ideal image of a successful person is told to be thin and
wealthy (Azam, 2008, p19).

The media has a huge impact on society in shaping the public opinion of the masses.

33
They can form or modify the public opinion in different ways depending of what is the objective.
For example, Pakistani media influenced the public opinion against the Taliban in Swat by
repeated telecast of a video clip showing whipping of a woman by a Taliban (Galtung, 1999, p9).

Before that the public opinion over the military action against the Taliban in Swat was
divided, but repeated telecast of this short video clip changed the public opinion overnight in the
favor of the government to take action. Other ways to influence are with polls and trends,
especially in political campaigns. The candidates that can pay for more TV and media exposure
have more influence on public opinion and thus can receive more votes (Zafar, 2013, p111).

2.9 Theories regarding the role of mass media

What role does mass media play? Legislatures, media executives, local school officials,
and sociologists have all debated this controversial question. While opinions vary as to the extent
and type of influence the mass media wields, all sides agree that mass media is a permanent part
of modern culture. Three main sociological perspectives on the role of media exist: the limited‐
effects theory, the class‐dominant theory, and the culturalist theory (Christians, 2004, p13).

2.9.1 Limited-effects theory

The limited‐effects theory argues that because people generally choose what to watch or
read based on what they already believe, media exerts a negligible influence. This theory
originated and was tested in the 1940s and 1950s. Studies that examined the ability of media to
influence voting found that well‐informed people relied more on personal experience, prior
knowledge, and their own reasoning. However, media ―experts‖ more likely swayed those who
were less informed (Cohler et al, 1989, p278).

Critics point to two problems with this perspective. First, they claim that limited‐effects
theory ignores the media's role in framing and limiting the discussion and debate of issues. How
media frames the debate and what questions members of the media ask change the outcome of
the discussion and the possible conclusions people may draw. Second, this theory came into
existence when the availability and dominance of media was far less widespread (Cohler et al,
1989, p279).

34
2.9.2 Class-dominant theory

The class‐dominant theory argues that the media reflects and projects the view of a
minority elite, which controls it. Those people who own and control the corporations that
produce media comprise this elite. Advocates of this view concern themselves particularly with
massive corporate mergers of media organizations, which limit competition and put big business
at the reins of media—especially news media. Their concern is that when ownership is restricted,
a few people then have the ability to manipulate what people can see or hear. For example,
owners can easily avoid or silence stories that expose unethical corporate behavior or hold
corporations responsible for their actions (White et al, 2009, p67).

The issue of sponsorship adds to this problem. Advertising dollars fund most media.
Networks aim programming at the largest possible audience because the broader the appeal, the
greater the potential purchasing audience and the easier selling air time to advertisers becomes.
Thus, news organizations may shy away from negative stories about corporations (especially
parent corporations) that finance large advertising campaigns in their newspaper or on their
stations. Television networks receiving millions of dollars in advertising from companies like
Nike and other textile manufacturers were slow to run stories on their news shows about possible
human‐rights violations by these companies in foreign countries (Christians, 2004, p29).

Media watchers identify the same problem at the local level where city newspapers will
not give new cars poor reviews or run stories on selling a home without an agent because the
majority of their funding comes from auto and real estate advertising. This influence also extends
to programming. In the 1990s a network cancelled a short‐run drama with clear religious
sentiments, Christy, because, although highly popular and beloved in rural America, the program
did not rate well among young city dwellers that advertisers were targeting in ads (Christians,
2004, p27).

Critics of this theory counter these arguments by saying that local control of news media
largely lies beyond the reach of large corporate offices elsewhere, and that the quality of news
depends upon good journalists. They contend that those less powerful and not in control of media
have often received full media coverage and subsequent support. As examples they name
numerous environmental causes, the anti‐nuclear movement, the anti‐Vietnam movement, and

35
the pro‐Gulf War movement (Galtung, 1999, p15).

While most people argue that a corporate elite controls media, a variation on this
approach argues that a politically ―liberal‖ elite controls media. They point to the fact that
journalists, being more highly educated than the general population, hold more liberal political
views, consider themselves ―left of center,‖ and are more likely to register as Democrats. They
further point to examples from the media itself and the statistical reality that the media more
often labels conservative commentators or politicians as ―conservative‖ than liberals as ―liberal.‖
(Galtung, 1999, p17).

Media language can be revealing, too. Media uses the terms ―arch‖ or ―ultra‖
conservative, but rarely or never the terms ―arch‖ or ―ultra‖ liberal. Those who argue that a
political elite controls media also point out that the movements that have gained media
attention—the environment, anti‐nuclear, and anti‐Vietnam—generally support liberal political
issues. Predominantly conservative political issues have yet to gain prominent media attention, or
have been opposed by the media. Advocates of this view point to the Strategic Arms Initiative of
the 1980s Reagan administration. Media quickly characterized the defense program as ―Star
Wars,‖ linking it to an expensive fantasy. The public failed to support it, and the program did not
get funding or congressional support (Cohler et al, 1989, p143).

2.9.3 Culturalist theory

The culturalist theory, developed in the 1980s and 1990s, combines the other two theories
and claims that people interact with media to create their own meanings out of the images and
messages they receive. This theory sees audiences as playing an active rather than passive role in
relation to mass media. One strand of research focuses on the audiences and how they interact
with media; the other strand of research focuses on those who produce the media, particularly the
news (Sabir, 2012, p86).

Theorists emphasize that audiences choose what to watch among a wide range of options,
choose how much to watch, and may choose the mute button or the VCR remote over the
programming selected by the network or cable station (Cohler et al, 1989, p285).

Studies of mass media done by sociologist‘s parallel text‐reading and interpretation

36
research completed by linguists (people who study language). Both groups of researchers find
that when people approach material, whether written text or media images and messages, they
interpret that material based on their own knowledge and experience. Thus, when researchers ask
different groups to explain the meaning of a particular song or video, the groups produce widely
divergent interpretations based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, and religious background.
Therefore, culturalist theorists claim that, while a few elite in large corporations may exert
significant control over what information media produces and distributes, personal perspective
plays a more powerful role in how the audience members interpret those messages (Elgar, 2005,
p 51).

2.10 Public opinion

Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult
population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many
different people and the sum of all their views (Peters, 1985.p45).

The desires, wants, and thinking of the majority of the people – or the collective opinion
of the people of a society or state on an issue or problem – is called public opinion. The English
term "public opinion" dates back to the seventeenth century work by John Locke, An Essay
Concerning Human Understanding, which contains an early consideration of the importance of
public opinion in the ordering of politics (Mockba, 2012, p19).

The term was derived from the French word opinion, which was first used in 1588 by
Michel de Montaigne. This concept came about through the process of urbanization and other
political and social forces. For the first time, it became important what people thought, as forms
of political contention changed (Mockba, 2012, p19).

Public opinion or Political opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held
by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions
of many different people and the sum of all their views (Keun et al, 2005, p 56).

Adam Smith (1723-1790), one of the earliest classical economists, refers to public
opinion in his Theory of Moral Sentiments. But it was Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), the famous
utilitarian Philosopher, who fully developed theories of public opinion. He opined that public

37
opinion had the power to ensure that rulers would rule for the greatest happiness of the greater
number. He brought in Utilitarian philosophy in order to define theories of public opinion
(Galtung, 1999, p33).

The German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies, by using the conceptional tools of his theory
of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, argued (1922, "Kritik der öffentlichen Meinung"), that 'public
opinion' has the equivalent social function in societies (Gesellschaften) which religion has in
communities (Gemeinschaften) - election of opinions of many different people and the sum of all
their views (Galtung, 1999, p34).

German social theorist, Jürgen Habermas (born in 1929), contributed the idea of "Public
Sphere" to the discussion of public opinion. The Public Sphere, or bourgeois public is, according
to Habermas, where "something approaching public opinion can be formed" (2004, p. 351).
Habermas claimed that the Public Sphere featured universal access, rational debate, and
disregard for rank. However, he believes that these three features for how public opinion are best
formed are no longer in place in western liberal democratic countries. Public opinion, in western
democracy, is highly susceptible to elite manipulation (Cohler et al, 1989, p29).

The American sociologist Herbert Blumer (1900 - 1987) has proposed an altogether
different conception of the "public.‖ According to Blumer, public opinion is discussed as a form
of collective behavior (another specialized term) which is made up of those who are discussing a
given public issue at any one time. Given this definition, there are many publics; each of them
comes into being when an issue arises and ceases to exist when the issue is resolved. Blumer
claims that people participate in public in different capacities and to different degrees. So, public
opinion polling cannot measure the public. An educated individual's participation is more
important than that of a drunk. The "mass," in which people independently make decisions
about, for example, which brand of toothpaste to buy, is a form of collective behavior different
from the public (White et al, 2009, p78).

Public opinion plays an important role in the political sphere. Cutting across all aspects of
relationship between government and public opinion are studies of voting behavior. These have
registered the distribution of opinions on a wide variety of issues, have explored the impact of
special interest groups on election outcomes and have contributed to our knowledge about the

38
effects of government propaganda and policy. More often than not, leaders use public opinion to
weight their options when instituting new policies, since public opinion represents the popular
views of citizens on the proper role of government. However, public opinion can be subject to
elite manipulation. Thus, public opinion cannot be the sole determinant factors for informing the
people on important issues of the day (Peters, 1985.p48).

The rapid spread of public opinion measurement around the world is a reflection of the
number of uses to which it can be put. Public opinion can be accurately obtained through a
random sample survey, if done correctly. Governments have increasingly found surveys to be
useful tools for guiding their public policies through voter polls as seen in. The US Department
of Agriculture was one of the first government agencies to sponsor systematic and large scale
surveys. It was followed by many other federal bodies, including the US information agency
which has conducted opinion research in all parts of the world. Public opinion can be influenced
by public relations and the political media. Additionally, mass media utilizes a wide variety of
advertising techniques to get their message out and change the minds of people. The tide of
public opinion becomes more and more crucial during political elections, most importantly
elections determining the national executive (Happer et al, 2010, p90).

2.11 Positive Impact of Media on the Public Opinion

Positive Impact: The media serves the society by highlighting the prevalence of such ills
as nepotism, cronyism and corruption in institutions and by carrying on relentless campaign
against them. It has been instrumental in bringing an end to the oppressive regimes of cruel
rulers. It has unearthed political scandals, kickbacks received by highly placed men. Heinous
crimes have been exposed due to active role of media. It was the media which exposed a greater
percentage of the corruption cases that we have witnessed in Nigeria. Moreover, editors and
writers of articles expose the excessiveness of men and power. They serve the society by
ensuring justice to those victimized by the government machinery (McQuai, 1993, p 111).

The power of media, particularly the visual media is awful. No one, how so ever
powerful he may be, can effectively combat it. The renowned singer Michael Jackson, after
undergoing the humiliating ordeal of child molestation charges against him, aptly asserts the

39
power of media thus: ―the incredible, terrible mass media‖. Nobody can deny the power of
media. The media is so powerful that it can instantly mould public opinion, bring far-reaching
policy reversals of governments, and even push little known personalities into seats of power
after boosting their election prospects with the most effective use of its image-making (Graber,
1988, p 17).

The media serve the society through its watchdog-type function. The media has the
capacity to hold governments accountable, forcing them to explain their actions and decisions,
all of which affect the people they represent. While the media has historically been viewed as
being overly aggressive and insatiable in its plight for the latest and hottest news, its function as
a watchdog is essential in a democratic society where people must know what their governments
are doing (Boykoff, 2011, p 88).

2.12 Negative Impact of Media on the Public Opinion

There is no denying the fact that with its biased and motivated coverage, the media
sometimes does much harm than good to international relations and national peace and harmony.
The advent of press freedom appears to have given rise to unprecedented abuse of the media by
unscrupulous mass communicators and authoritarian leaders in society. This potential for
mischief is attributed to the fact that media is controlled by media barons, corporate giants,
industrial houses and government wielding dictatorial powers. Often, the media lords use the
power of media to serve their own ends which are always at odds with humanitarian
considerations at times leading to fuel fires of hatred, strife and anarchy, instead of spreading the
message of love and brotherhood (Happer et al, 2010, p 49).

Those media men seeking short-cut to name and fame act for them, neglecting the
sanctity of their profession. Sometimes media persons work hand in glove with political
leadership, bureaucrats and other influential persons. Naturally, their write-ups and editorials are
motivated. Through their write-ups, they justify all acts of mission and commission of their
patrons. This is particularly discernible in the editorials of several newspapers and magazines.
The media men, in fact, try to please their patrons and lords (Happer et al, 2010, p 22).

40
 The glamorous lifestyle of celebrities and pomp and show served by the media is causing
great erosion in social norms and moral values. The younger generations being encouraged by
the stunning luxuries of film villains and their varied methods of collecting wealth, resort to
some evil methods, often fall prey to criminal tendencies and get increasingly brutalized. In their
quest for such life, they sometimes come into contact with anti-social and anti-national elements.
Thus, instead of doing well to society, they themselves are lost in darkness. In a way it causes
loss of human resources to society as well (Hadeshian, 2006, p 23).

Furthermore, the portrayal of women in media, to some extent, is responsible for

increasing violence against them. The scenes of atrocities and torture against women are very
common in film and TV. Here, the woman is atrociously portrayed as an object of entertainment,
required to dance, sing, expose her body part and vanish. Scenes of indecency on the part of
women are almost mandatory in films, musical videos and fashion magazine. This is pictured in
such a manner that they arouse the excitement in the viewers. Besides, scenes of gruesome
killing and vulgar dialogues are integral part of visual media. All these are contributing to the
moral downfall of society (Elgar, 2005, p 64).

The media to some extent has deviated from its path of avowed impartiality and clean
journalism. They often indulge in petty means to gain material benefits, i.e. to boost their sales.
At times, what most papers give their readers is simply sensation-creating stuff. They publish
stories about the private life of celebrities and obscene photographs. There is a circulation war
among various newspapers (Elgar, 2005, p 51-53).

To emerge as winner they involve in mean activities. Indeed media has lost its sense of
moral responsibility. In the past, media was considered champion of the rights of the oppressed
and principles of morality and justice. They worked for some noble causes. Now newspapers
give doctored news analysis to influence the minds of the readers (Peters, 1985.p24).

Even the film makers mistakenly assume that the society does not have the ability to
understand quality movies and end up producing only bizarre movies. Don‘t you think that a
biased media, who think that our people do like a particular kind of news and films, misguide us?
Do any of these media add any value to the growth of our nation? Are they not making us debate

41
on gossips and silly things when there are a lot of real issues (Cohler et al, 2015, p28)?

2.13 The role of mass media in shaping of public opinion

Media is the most powerful tool for the formation of Public opinion in
contemporary times. It is the Television, the press, the radio and the Internet. (Films, magazines,
posters, studies, reports, theater, art, dance, public speeches, hearings) Talking about the media is
like talking about a mission. A source of information and education that will shape the daily
choices in people‘s life. That will shape the thinking, and the perception of things. But Media is a
political power and tool, occupied in a way by the big powers, international corporations, big
agencies using for their political and economic objectives that control and can pay. Among the
most powerful news agencies in the West are the BBC, CNN, Euro-news, Monte Carlo, while,
Al Jazira, Al Aarabia, LBC, Al Shark El Awsat are the news agencies in the Middle
East. The religious and political leaders of these media agencies are always around to talk, freely
and passing news, stands, and positions to their communities, to the public using them to serve
their political and economic ends (Mughal, 2011, p 28).

Since the 1950s, television has been the main medium for molding public opinion. Public
opinion as a concept gained credence with the rise of "public" in the eighteenth century. The
English term "public opinion" dates back to the eighteenth century and has derived from the
French "l'opinion", which was first used in 1588 by Montaigne. This concept came about through
the process of urbanization and other political and social forces. For the first time, it became
important what people thought, as forms of political contention changed (Abedin, 2013).

The mass media and all media in general have a heavy influence and impact on
individuals and society, as many people rely on the media as a source of information without
even thinking whether it is true or not. Furthermore, the media is a very powerful weapon that
can quickly change people's perspectives and beliefs in few minutes, for instance a news
report concerning Israeli and Palestinian conflict many cover and focus only on one side of the
story and ignore or fail to mention the other part which will make the viewer‘s pity with one side
and neglect the other side. Moreover, nowadays news presenters and commentators start giving
their own opinions which is somehow positive but when it comes to sensitive subject they should
be careful as many people take their opinions as the final truth as a result they maintain false idea

42
regarding a certain topic (Cohler et al, 2015, p27).

The role of mass media is to inform, aware, educate and entertain the people. In today‘s
life where every day something or the other is happening around us which is affecting the lives
of the people directly or indirectly, it is really very important for all of us to at least know the
actual situation of the whole incident. And here comes the role of media, be it print media,
electronic media or any other form of media. Media on the whole provides all the necessary
details to its masses so that they are aware of everything that is taking place all around the world
(McQuai, 1993, p 133).

The media can shape public opinion by publicizing certain stories or stressing certain aspects
of stories. A major theme of mass media is that the most salient details of a story are seen as
being the most important. For example, two media outlets could each run a story on the state of
the economy. One might emphasize the current administration‘s regulatory policies, and the
other might focus on interest rates. In both cases, the facts are the same, but the narrative has
changed dramatically. Mass media has a massive role to play in common man‘s life. It‘s not
possible for people to visit all the places to know the actual situations. So they follow the media
for that. People depend on them for news feed, general knowledge, guidance and much more.
Mass media has the power to make or break the country. For any country to prosper, Media plays
a vital role and it‘s very much needed for the media to be independent and unbiased. Many
Medias are now competing each other to influence people in two different directions. Many of
them targets masala news instead of streaming more important news (Quora, 2017).

Mass media have a big role to play. Masses do not have their own sources of information and
depend on the mass media for the same. But where the people have other sources like social
media or when they can hear a candidate directly during election time or through persons coming
door to door and talking and giving some information in writing or getting information through
flyers, they make up their own mind and then it becomes very difficult for the mass media to
change this impression of individuals. In the recently concluded presidential elections, the mass
media failed miserably in shaping public opinion against Mr. Trump despite most of them having
gone against Mr. Trump. It shows their limitation and peoples‘ own opinion making through
their own studies and relying on the sources other than mass media. There is a good lesson to the

43
mass media in this episode that they should go back to media‘s main principle to remain neutral
(Priston, 2017).

The media can shape public opinion by publicizing certain stories or stressing certain aspects
of stories. A major theme of Robert Cialdini‘s Presuasion is that the most salient details of a
story are seen as being the most important. For example, two media outlets could each run a
story on the state of the economy. One might emphasize the current administration‘s regulatory
policies, and the other might focus on interest rates. In both cases, the facts are the same, but the
narrative has changed dramatically (Elisabeth, 1984, p17).

The media plays a prominent essential role in the formation of public opinion through several
influential organs such as the press, radio, television, cinema, theater, books and social
networking sites, which is one of the most important means of communication with the public
(Priston, 2017).

This means of influencing work in combination, and in the consistency and integrity of the
formation of public opinion on various topics and circumstances and situations and problems that
present themselves on the mind and that relate to various aspects of political, social, cultural or
economic (Happer et al, 2010, p9).

The press is one of the most powerful media and most capable of forming public opinion and
the formation of the conscience of the masses through what is published articles and
commentaries, news and investigations, photographs and cartoons, and adopt modern journalism
heavily on pictures and drawings in influencing public opinion, the picture is brilliant and
expressive singing from the dozens of articles and talks, including do not talk to him the most
powerful pens. The cartoon, it is one of the most powerful weapons of modern journalism,
because it draws the attention of the reader and contemplates a long performs to the subject
matter hereof and conscience immediately, and thus takes effect effective and successful manner
(Galtung, 1999, p45).

Television is the latest means of influencing public opinion, which resulted in the twentieth
century and also the most dangerous because it offers audio-visual word and the word at the
same time together (Keun et al, 2005, p39).

44
 In recent years, the seriousness and the importance of television and its impact in the
formation of public opinion and led prompted the capitalist monopolies in the United States to
take a means to guide public opinion to serve their interests Under the capitalist monopolies,
which controls this device in the United States, this device is used in advertising for the US
presidential election, television and is distinguished from other media several advantages
(Christians, 2004, p10).

The social network are considered the most prevalent on the Internet, because of its
characteristics that distinguish them from websites, encouraging Internet surfers from all over the
world on increasing the turnout, at a time when demand fell on websites, despite the severe
criticism faced by Social networking has always been especially site (Facebook), which is
accused by the criticism of the negative impact and direct the family of society, and contribute to
the disintegration of his contract and collapse, there is of seeing it as an important means of
growing and docking between the communities, and bring the concepts and visions with the
other, and see and learn about the cultures different peoples, in addition to its active role and
outstanding as a viable way connection in donations and mass uprisings. In the end, we can say
that social network became a big role in influencing public opinion clearly (McQuai, 1993, p12).

45
Chapter #3
Methodology
3.1 Methodology

The overall sequential and logical process of any research activities is called research
methodology. From the very start when a researcher selects a research problem, he/she uses
various methods and techniques.

3.2 The problem

The research aims to explore the role of mass media in shaping of public opinion. The role
of mass media is to inform, aware, educate and entertain the people. In today‘s life where every
day something or the other is happening around us which is affecting the lives of the people
directly or indirectly, it is really very important for all of us to at least know the actual situation
of the whole incident. And here comes the role of media, be it print media, electronic media or
any other form of media. Media on the whole provides all the necessary details to its masses so
that they are aware of everything that is taking place all around the world. The media can shape
public opinion by publicizing certain stories or stressing certain aspects of stories.

3.3 Purpose of the study

Purpose of the study of the present research to explore the role of mass media and all media
in general have a heavy influence and impact on individuals and society, as many people rely on
the media as a source of information without even thinking whether it is true or not. Furthermore,
the media is a very powerful weapon that can quickly change people's perspectives and beliefs in
few minutes. . Moreover, nowadays news presenters and commentators start giving their own
opinions which is somehow positive but when it comes to sensitive subject they should be
careful as many people take their opinions as the final truth as a result they maintain false idea
regarding a certain topic.

3.4 Objectives of the study

 To determine the role of mass media in public awareness.

 To analyze the main objectives of mass media in people‘s lives.

46
 To know about the beliefs, perceptions and attitudes of people towards mass media.
 To know about the positive as well as negative effects of mass media on people.
 To analyze that how mass media negatively impacted us.

3.5 Locality

We conduct our Research in University of Malakand, District Dir lower Kpk, Pakistan. Because
it is easily accessible for us. And also we are studying here from last four years as well as diverse
population are found here.

3.6 Sampling

We use Stratified random sampling for our research. Stratified random sampling is a
method of sampling that involves the division of a population into smaller groups known as
strata. In stratified random sampling, the strata are formed based on members' shared attributes
or characteristics. These subsets of the strata are then pooled to form a random sample (crag,
2010).

The biggest advantage of stratified random sampling is that it reduces selection bias.
Stratifying the entire population before applying random sampling methods helps ensure a
sample that accurately reflects the population being studied in terms of the criteria used for
stratification (ibid).

Unfortunately, stratified random sampling cannot be used in every study. The method's
disadvantage is that several conditions must be met for it to be used properly. Researchers must
identify every member of a population being studied and classify each of them into one, and only
one, subpopulation. Finding an exhaustive and definitive list of an entire population is the first
challenge. In some cases, it is downright impossible (Crag, 2010).

We have total 60 interviews from different departments of the university. 10, 10 from
each semester from which we take only six samples three male and three female randomly. As
mention above we use simple random sampling so from every semester we have one sample and
also from previous and masters (Crag, 2010).

47
3.7 Tool for data collection

Interview schedule has used is the major source of data collection. Interview schedule is
list of questions which a researcher asked from the respondent and record all the answer reply
from the respondent. In this study the researchers went to the University and interview from the
respondent through interview schedule.

We also use Case studies, Interview guide and key informant interviews as a miner
sources of data collection.

3.8 Data analysis

The collected data was analyzed and organized by case studies.

3.9 Nature of the study

This study is qualitative in nature.

3.10 Time duration

The time occur duration of this study is six months in which two months have surf in literature
review, one month have been in the field of data collection, one month in the preparation of data
collection and two months have been surf for data arrangement, conclusion and suggestions.

3.11 Area Profile

The area for our research was University of Malakand, District Dir lower, KPK, and Pakistan.
The below information has been taken from Google (Kpktribune.com, 2017).

3.11.1 Malakand Division

Malakand Division was an administrative division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North

West Frontier Province) of Pakistan, until the reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of
government. At abolition it contained eight districts Buner District, Chitral District, Lower Dir
District (part of Dir District until 1996), Upper Dir District (part of Dir District until 1996),
Malakand District, Shangla District, and Swat District. Until 1970 the area was a Tribal Area
known as the Malakand Agency. In 1970, Malakand Division was formed from the princely
states of Chitral, Dir and Swat (incorporated into West Pakistan in 1969) and an area around the

48
Malakand Fort known as the Malakand Protected Area. The capital of the new division was
Saidu Sharif.

3.11.2 District Dir lower

Lower Dir is one of the 26 districts in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Timergara city is the district headquarters and largest city.

3.11.3 History of Dir lower

At the time of independence, Dir was a state ruled by Nawab Shah Jehan Khan. It was
merged in Pakistan in 1969 and later on declared a district in 1970. The district was formed in
1996, when the district of Dir was divided into Upper Dir and Lower Dir. The District borders
with Swat District on its East, Afghanistan on its West, Upper Dir and Chitral on its North &
north-west respectively and Malakand and Bajaur Agency on its South.

3.11.4 Population of Dir lower

The population of the Lower Dir district is 797,852 according to the 1998 census report.
The projected population of Dir Lower was 1.037.091 in 2005 with the same growth between the
1981 and 1998 census i.e. 3.42% per annum. The projected male population of Dir lower in 2005
is 514,072 and the female is 523,020.

3.11.5 Literacy ratio of Dir lower

The literacy ratio of the district among the population aged 10 years and above is 29.90
percent which has increased significantly since 1981 when it was just 10.16 percent. The male
literacy ratio is higher i.e. 48.76 compared to 12.25 percent for females, according to census
report 1998.

3.11.6 Location of Dir lower

District Lower Dir is located in the north-western part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
and is spread over an area of 1583 square kilometers. Most of the state layed in the valley of the
Panjkora river, which originates in the Hindu Kush mountains and joins the Swat River near
Chakdara. Apart from small areas in the south-west, Dir is a rugged, mountainous zone with

49
peaks rising to 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) in the north-east and to 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) along the
watersheds, with Swat to the east and Afghanistan and Chitral to the west and north.

3.11.7 Topography of Dir lower

The topography of the district is dominated by the mountains and hills which are part of
the ranges/branches of southern Hindukush with the highest peaks in the northern part of Dir.
The major valleys of Lower Dir include; Timergara, Jandool Maidan, Samarbagh, and Asban.

The district is administratively subdivided into seven tehsils, Adenzai, Timergara, Balambat,
Khall, Munda, Samar Bagh and Lal Qila Maidan, which contain a total of 41 Union Councils. In
Lower Dir, there are 7 tehsils.

3.11.8 Chakdara

Chakdara is a town in Lower Dir District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It is located north of

Malakand on the north bank of the Swat River, in a commanding position near the entrance to
Swat District and at the entrance to Lower Dir. It is about 130 km (81 mi) from Peshawar and 40
km (25 mi) away from Saidu Sharif, It is the gateway to Lower Dir District.

3.11.9 Historical Backround of Chakdara

Chakdara has been an important center for the last 3500 years and is littered with remains
of the Gandhara grave culture, Buddhist sites, and Hindu Shahi forts. The ancient route from
Afghanistan via Nawa Pass and Katkala Pass/Zwalm pul (Bridge) Swat River crosses at
Chakdara.

The Mughals built a fort here in 1586, occupied in 1895 by the British, who built the present fort
in 1896 and were forced to defend it during the Siege of Malakand in 1897.

3.11.10 History of University of Malakand

The need for university in Malakand division has been felt need since 1972 but due to
political disagreement between political parties. So therefore idea could not finalize until 2001.
The present site for establishment a university was proposed by executive governor Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa Mr. Sayed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, Prof Dr. Latifullah Kaka Khel former advisor to
governor k.p.k is the key person in the establishment of this institution. After the announcement

50
some legal points were raised by the provincial law department regarding establishing a
university in PATA (provincial administered tribal area) article 247 of the constitution 1973 of
the Islamic Republic of Pakistan a very old impediment in opening university in the area.

The issue was resolved by the case to the president to Islamic Republic of Pakistan who
approval the university through a presidential order. Hence in a since this is the only university
in Pakistan established by the highest seat of power in the country. The president of Pakistan and
the governor of k.p.k the provincial government thus through a gazette notification

No p-111 dated 27.oct.2001 (extraordinary) formally announced a university for Malakand

division on the premises of the defont D.F.I.C at chakdara.

3.11.11 Location

The university is situated approximately in the beginning area of Dir. lower. Chakdara
Thana and Batkhela are the nearest cities to it.

3.11.12 Demography

The common language which is spoken in the university is Pashto. It is higher

educational institution so Urdu and English are also spoken frequently while the official
language of university is English.

The student of university majority belonging to pukhtoon tribes as well as Sayed, Gujar
and other minor families is the area such as chitralies also enrolled.

3.11.13 Climate

AS the university is situated in Dir. lower so it is lying in the temperate zoon in the
northern mountainous ranges of the Indo_Pak subcontinent. Therefore here weather is effected
by all the climate factors latitude, altitude and rain bearing winds in summer Dir. lower comes
under the influence of monsoon while in winter, the cyclonic current from the Mediterranean sea
effect it and the weather is very cool in winter sometimes reporting snowfall.

51
3.11.14 Temperature

The temperature generally remains between 50f to 55f (4 c to 6 c). The mountainous area
it take more than three months. The hottest month is July, in which the temperature raised to
more than 90f (32 c) in plan areas.

3.11.15 Race

The population of university belongs to main race which are. Main, Mule, Swati,
Pukhtoon, Chitrali, Gujar and Naiee each of them has their own lineage and background.

3.11.16 Language

The common language which is spoken in the university is Pashto. Along with this, Urdu
and English are spoken frequently while the official language of university is English.

3.11.17 Dress

The students mostly wear simple and their national and traditional dress of Shalwar and
Qameez in summer and add coat and blanket in winter. The female use shawl in summer and
blanket in winter. Western dress such as jeans is also used by boys in university.

3.11.18 Food:

University canteen and other private canteen are present in university. The students use
simple food as wheat bread daily and maize bread also use, rice, coffee, chicken karahi and
different vegetables.

3.11.19 Behavior

The behavior of the University students and employers are very polite.

3.11.20 Relations

Relation of the students is friendly with each other and competitive, and cooperative is
very common.

52
3.11.21 Religion

All of the students and employers of the university strictly devoted to Islam. A student
can tolerate the worst challenges to his life, but cannot bear challenges to Islam.

3.11.22 Health facilities

Health facilities in university are not enough. First aid facilities is not satisfactory and
only ambulance is present for emergency cases. However the Batkhela is only of 15 minutes
distance from university other private hospital in Chakdara are also very near to university and
university public school and college.

3.11.23 Communication

University of Malakand is connected with other parts of the country by roads, telephone,
mobile phone, post office and internet facilities are also available in university.

3.11.24 Problem of the students

The main problems of university students are.

 Health facilities problems such as unsatisfactory first aid services no hospital and
emergency

 Non availability of clean water especially in hostels

 Lack of hostel rooms for students

 Lack of lecturers in various departments

 Lack of books in shop.

53
Chapter No.4
DATA ANALYSIS
Section “A”

4.1 Case Study…...1

Sameeka khan belongs to Sawat. She is the final year student of Psychology at
University of Malakand. She is 22 years old and belong to a middle class nuclear family. Her
father is government servant. She knows about Mass Media, According to her Mass Media
means the technology which share the information with many people at a time (in Mass Media
there are TV, Radio, Newspapers, Internet etc.). It is the primary means of communication this is
the primary source of information to the masses. Through Mass Media we aware of all the
situation which occurs in the world. She use mass media in their daily life in the shape of
Newspaper (Mashriq Newspaper main headings and sports also read the editorial column),
Internet (Facebook, twitter, Whatsapp, Google), Television (Hum Channel mostly for dramas),
Digests (showbiz, Magazines, digest, suspense digest monthly in which I read novels). Similarly
she use mass media for studying and Entertainment According to her I use mass media for
studying, Google Scholar and download pdf files from internet regarding my subject which I
have need, and also use for Entertainment, I play online games on Facebook just like snooker, 8
ball poll etc. Television for dramas, mostly I use TV for dramas which is my hobby and best
entertainment. In her point of view the main objective of Mass Media is to inform the people
from the situation of the country, issues like Panama issue, Dawn leaks issue, civil military
relations, regarding political situation and mainly to show our identity through dramas and films
cinemas. In her point of view the Mass Media deliver one sided information because they show
one sided picture to the masses their news are different from each other (Geo News compares to
Ptv news). When you compare these channels you would see a huge difference between their
News, from that point I don't believe on television mostly, I see the newspaper, Mashriq
Newspaper. For building thoughts/opinion about issue his response was positive and said yes,
because they deliver many times information regarding one issue so my and the thoughts of other
people should be build regarding an issue (and strongly build, because everywhere you have to
see information regarding one issue should delivered). According to Sameeka khan mass media

54
have power to get our attention to an issue, she give example that yes the Mass Media have the
great power to get my attention to on issue e.g. Now a days the Dawn leaks issue is more
discussed in Pakistan which not a big issue but the Mass Media give justifications and make
them a big issue, and also get the attention of Masses towards that. She says that television and
established newspapers make people more informed, According to her in television you have the
more information about your country or abroad country and in newspaper there are magazines in
Sunday which is more informative regarding some issues just like health etc. and the strong point
is they are in their own language so people understand them easily and get more information.
Sameeka says that Mass Media just like television distract people from thinking about things that
matters around us she says that I did not know about Pak-Afghan war in border, because I only
see the dramas on television which is the distractive factor in this regard. Sameeka khan is very
intelligent and good student she says that because of mass media I feel a huge difference in my
thoughts as compare to my other Female class fellows, I told everything to my class fellows and
I realize that my thoughts is different from them and these are due to Mass Media (Television).
She knows about public opinion according to her the thoughts of the people regarding an issue.
The perception of the people (masses) regarding an issue which is present in the time. In this
connection about the prominent role of Media in shaping of Public Opinion, her point of view is
Yes, Mass Media plays a prominent role in the shaping of public opinion, because information is
the primary source for the opinion and this information is provided by the Mass Media. The
Mass Media is the power to get your attention regarding an issue they provide information
regarding this and the opinion of people become builds. Her opinion about role of Mass Media in
shaping of Public opinion is Mass Media is the basic for the public opinion because there is no
way of information except Mass Media this is the one source of information which provide the
information (the information should be right or wrong) not confirmed but they form the opinion
of people/public. In her point of view in some cases mass media provided one sided information
if we take the example of Panama leaks when the Supreme Court decide that there would be a
JIT and they decide in 60 days all the Mass Media (Print Media, TV etc.) make discussions on
the decisions and provided one sided information's. She says that Mass Media educate Masses
especially television educate the Females which lives inside the houses and just see everything
on the television, they learn many things from that, (different food preparation techniques, from
dramas they learn that how to behave in a particular way or situation). Sameeka says that Cinema

55
(movies) is mostly affect our society and values because if we see a look to the Pashto dramas
and films they destroy the Pashto Culture and values they provide a way to the new generation
that there is nothing in Pashto society except fights and killing. Her perception about Mass
Media is very simple that Mass Media is the primary way or source of information and the
masses are aware due to Mass Media, and this perception exists because of the awareness of my
own mentality which is built by Mass Media. She says that affect their social life because Mass
Media just like television affects my social life because every time when I was in home in see the
television which dramas and also use social Media face book for some time. The Mass Media
affects my social life activities just like to meet with my friends in my village and to learn the
household activities. (I don't learn any household activity because of the excessive use of
television and face book). Sameeka khan says that I feel may changes in my behaviour (lonely
live in my room, I want that there is no one and I think only about mine and this attitude of mine
is developed due to Mass Media). I have feeling difference in my opinion as compare to other
people regarding Political issues. Many friends of mine are said that Nawaz Sharif is theft but in
my opinion he the only person who brought Pakistan to a good position economically, and this
due to the excessive use of TV. She says that mass media play important role in the development
of any society, According to her Mass Media provide information to the authoritative regarding
efficiency of anything's in any society or Community or area.(Mass Media aware people that
how to get your right from authoritative, when the right goes to the people who deserve it
development occurs). She says that Mass Media is the basic element of cultural diffusion. Take
the example of mine I adopt the Panjabi dress in my home and my other friends are also this is
because of Mass Media. She says that mass media promote popular culture, now in Pashto
daramas they brought Indian culture which is popular in our country. Sameeka khan says that
mass media promote and increase learning abilities of students somehow Mass Media is the store
of information, when you need some type of information, you have to use internet to get the
information and this promotes the learning abilities of students. She says that mass media affect
their student life because due to Mass Media I have never study more than one hour because I
always use Facebook and chat with friends and see television (dramas on Hum TV, Ary Tv, and
Rasme dunya). She suggest that Mass Media should be neutral, if you see to the Pakistani dramas
Parkton would be a killer, not good Urdu speaker and a big problem for society but in real

56
Pashtun is not like this the Mass Media give a dangerous shape to them, so I suggest that the
Mass Media should be neutral not one sided.

4.2 Case Study……2

Esha Noor is a female student of department of Sociology Second Semester University of

Malakand. She belongs to chakdara her father is farmer and she belongs to middle class and joint
family. Esha Noor knows about mass media, according to her mass media is a way of
communication among people of the world. It bring awareness among people and is a source of
information. According to her there are certain types of mass media like Print media, Internet,
Television. She is also the user of mass media. According to her she use print media (Newspaper
(Mashriq), Magazines (weekly), Digests (Suspense)) and television (News & Hum Channel). She
use mass media for the purpose to aware from the condition which currently take place. Also use
for the entertainment just like watch Darama‘s and also for the purpose of to take information
about something. In Esha Noor point of view the main objective of mass media is to bring
awareness about some issue in society among its members. Esha Noor believe on the information
delivered by the mass media, according to her every information which is deliver to the public
mostly depend on reality. She says that mass media build their thoughts/opinion about an issue,
According to her when I get information about some issue or problem so I can use mass media
and get more information about the issue and I get the convincing power, and I can convince
other people about the issue because I develop my thoughts/opinion about the issue or problem
with the help of mass media. Esha Noor argues that mass media have power to get our attention
to an issue, he says that Mashal Khan murder case is the recent example and this issue get our
attention towards the problem. She says that television and established newspapers make people
more informed because Television and newspaper is the basics of mass media and now a days in
every home there are television and every third person read newspaper daily. The television and
established newspapers are very informative and they provide information to the people. She
says that mass media distract people from thinking about things that matters because mass media
is a source of entertainment when I watch darama or movie I have no thinking of other things
which occurs around me, my concentration is on the screen. She says that due to the use of mass
media I feel a lot of difference in my thoughts as compare to other people because every

57
individual have different point of approach to an issue and mass media is the University of
Information they can change your thoughts. Esha Noor knows about public opinion, According
to him the thoughts or views of public about some issue is called public opinion. She accept that
mass media play a prominent role in shaping of public opinion because they present openly the
views of public to the public. According to personal opinion of Esha Noor about the role of mass
media in shaping of public opinion she says that public don‘t have their own opinion, but mass
media makes their opinion about an issue, because mass media provide information to the
masses and that information take part in the formation of public opinion. She don‘t believe that
mass media deliver one sided information/ news because there are some journalists who wants to
show reality to the people and they do. According to him mass media educate the masses and
masses become more advance and inspire from some issues. She says that mass media (cinema,
television) affect our society and values because every day there are release a new film by the
film industry and there is no check and balance on these films (see the now a days Pashto films,
where there are no pakhton culture and values and these things distract our youth and society)
and as well as television daramas which is also not in the standard of our society and values. The
perception of Esha Noor about mass media is positive and this perception is exists due to the
positive role of mass media because mass media promote the developmental factors of our
society and mass media also a factor of development in the society and the society are running
through the positive information of mass media. Esha Noor says that mass media affect their
social life because I have no time for my family due to the use of mass media, some time I watch
movie or darama or reading digest so I have no time for worship and other social activities just
like meet with friends etc. According to Esha Noor due to mass media I feel some changes in my
behavior, attitude or opinion because I watch some films and daramas which inspire me and I get
convincing power and have more advanced and practical in my life. She says that mass media
play important role in the development of any society because mass media is also a factor of
development and the world every society wants to know the development factors of other society
and mass media get those information which have focused on the development of society ( if we
see the commercial advertisements on television). Esha Noor agree that mass media is the basic
element of cultural diffusion she give the example female driving which have been diffused from
foreign cultures. Mass media promote popular culture (see the Pakistani daramas in which
Panjabi culture are more popular and they promote that culture). She says that mass media

58
promote learning abilities if the students they get important information which they want and
they learn how to speak in certain situation as well as there are information in the mass media
regarding their academics and studies. She says that mass media shape my abilities I become
brilliant, advanced, informed and more practical in my student life. At last Rashida suggest that
mass media is the source of information but don‘t believe 100% on these information, find the
evidence and then believe on that. Confirm the information in your mind if your mind accept
that.

4.3 Case study….3

Saeed khan belongs to Bunier. He is the student of Pharm-D 6th semester at the
University of Malakand. He is 21 years old and belongs to a middle-class nuclear family. His
father is a Local Physician at his village. He knows about mass media, According to him ―Mass
media is a source which provides a very important information about the current situation to a
large portion of the population at a time‖. He says Internet, Television, Newspaper, and Radio
are the major components of mass media. He is also a user of mass media, He uses the Internet
(Facebook, watts app, Messenger, Instagram, you tube, Google scholar, Google plus and IMO),
Newspaper (Mashriq). According to him, he uses mass media for entertainment (Games, Funny
videos), for information (Academic purpose) when I need, and for interaction with international
people and the world. He says that the main objective of mass media is to share information with
people and to create awareness among the people about the entire world and every aspect of life.
He believes in the Information deliver by mass media, according to him the information which is
delivered by mass media is always provide awareness about some issue then we know about the
particular problem. According to him mass media build our thoughts/ opinion about an issue, he
says when a problem occurs in society we know about the causes and consequences of that
particular problem or issue because the mass media highlight the problem and tell us every
aspect of the problem/ issue from different sources so my thoughts/ opinion build through mass
media in right way. He says the mass media have the power to get the attention of people
towards an issue, he give the example of HIV/AIDS, He says when there is increasing in the
level of HIV/AIDS then the mass media get our attention towards the issue and then the
government and people comes to the front to provide solution of that issue. It is because of mass
media. Furthermore he says the television and established newspapers make people more

59
informed because through television and established newspaper we know about the current
situation of the country and also the entire world. Saeed khan accepts that mass media distract
people from thinking about things that matters, he says when we are in sad situation or feeling
sad so we can use the mass media then our mind is little bit change and we feel relax. Also he
says that due to the use of mass media I feel a little difference in my thoughts as compare to
other people. Saeed Khan knows about public opinion, According to him public opinion is the
cumulative thought/ thinking of people about an issue or about a situation. Saeed Khan accepts
that mass media play a prominent role in the shaping of public opinion, he give the example of
panama leaks in current situation the mass media play a very important role in shaping of public
opinion. The personal opinion of Saeed Khan regarding the role of mass media in shaping of
public opinion that mass media play a vital role in public opinion because mass media provide
information about a particular issue/ problem like panama leaks. Also he says that mass media
provide one sided information regarding an issue. He accepts that mass media educate the
masses because media show a picture of society, when the producer make movie or darama
about some issue then people get knowledge about that issue through darama/ movies. The
respondent believe that mass media(cinema, television) affect our society and values because
when uneducated people watch any action movie then they adopt that role which creates
disturbance and affects our society and values. Saeed Khan perception about mass media is
positive and says that mass media is very much important because mass media provide a very
expensive information about culture, religion and many other things which occurs in the world.
We should to consider mass media is part of our culture and society. He says that mass media
affect their social life, because of the use of mass media I-e watching movies, news, or darama
we forget about everything and responsibilities. Also says that mass media change our life style
(dress), fashion, hair style etc. through mass media we know about the merits and demerits of the
things and they change our behaviour, attitude and opinion about some thing or issue. Saeed
Khan says that mass media play important role of the development of any society because
through mass media people know about the latest and modern technologies then people start
progress for achieving those technologies and this progress give the way for the development.
Saeed Khan agree that change is the unchangeable law of nature and mass media is the basic
element of cultural diffusion because people adopt the other societies life style, and culture. He
says that mass media promote popular culture, he give the example of Pakistani daramas in

60
which they promote the life style of popular culture and get the attention of people towards the
populous culture. According to him mass media promote and increase learning abilities of
students because when they need some information they get help from internet and search the
relevant information and through this is the symbol of learning. Also says that mass media
effects their student life because the students waste their time in watching of movies, the use of
internet (social media) in exams time or study time and they get low marks in exams. The
respondent suggest that mass media should be neutral because in this modern era societies are
running through the waves of information if this information is positive the people and society
should go away in right way because mass media makes the opinion of public about government
, new inventions and technologies and through this our society would be developed. Also suggest
that we should to avoid the use of mass media just for entertainment because mass media is the
wave of information we have to get positive information and takes part in the development of our
society.

4.4 Case study….4

Mr. Tanveer Hayat Khan Belongs to Odigram (Dir Lower) and he is the student of
Department of Law 8th semester at University of Malakand. His father is a police officer and
belongs to the higher class joint family. He knows about mass media, According to him, Mass
media is a source of information which includes television, Radio, the Internet, and newspaper
etc. He says Mass media is a source through which we know about something or situation. He
personally uses television (Geo News, ARY News), Radio (Local FM Chanel Rokhan, Radio
Pakistan, BBC and VOA), and Newspaper (Mostly Mashriq). He used mass media mostly for the
purpose of news, the news mostly related to Pakistan and its political situation etc. In his point of
view, the main objective of mass media is and should be to give people real and correct
information about someone or some event and also to entertain people. According to him, he
believes on the information delivered by mass media, but this also depends on the type of
information delivered by mass media. If we take the example of social media just like Facebook
here you see many things but some are correct and some are wrong so I do not believe in these
type of information. Tanveer Hayat Khan says mass media builds our thoughts/ opinions about
an issue or an event, because due to excessive use of mass media and have a great degree of
influence on us, it builds our opinions, especially on the current corruption issues. He says that

61
mass media have the power to get our attention to an issue because of the influence of mass
media as they delivered some information our opinions can build smoothly and regularly. The
example of Panama papers has great influence and impact on my mind/thoughts currently.
Tanveer Hayat khan says that television and established newspapers make people more
informed. In his point of view this is a great source of information, He says television and
established newspapers presented different programs and magazines, it provides more
information to the people. He says that mass media distract people from thinking about things
that matters According to him Mostly mass media involves in this activity, because it leaves the
actual issues and go after the non-issues. He says that everyone have their different opinions and
thoughts, and the perception of everyone is somehow different from others. In his point of view
Public opinion is the ideas and perception of the people towards some issues or event. Tanveer
Hayat Khan accepts that mass media play a prominent role in shaping of public opinion.
According to him mass media can move the people towards any side, means ta say it effects on
ideas of someone through one program on news it can change one‗s thoughts and ideas. His
opinion about the role of mass media in shaping of public opinion is the role of mass media
should be destructive and to provide actual reality to the people, avoid those programs which
districts unity of the nation. He said that mass media some time provided one sided information
and this is due to the influence of some authority. He agrees that mass media educate the people,
because mass media provided programs on Television and in newspaper and magazines they
provided some information which play a basic role to educate the people. Tanveer Hayat Khan
says that Mass media (cinema, television) affects our society and values. According to him Mass
media affects specially in our culture and values it have a strong effect. Therefore our culture
always resist these things which is provided by the mass media. His perception about mass media
is neutral According to him in current situation my perception is changed, due to the
privatization of channels, now it is difficult to believe on the information of mass media. Tanveer
Hayat Khan says mass media affect their social life because more attachment can leads to lower
interaction and some psychological problems also. He says that due to mass media he feel a lot
of changes in his behavior, attitude and thoughts/ opinion According to him sometime we don‘t
know about something or issue when mass media provide information about it, this changes the
attitude and o thinking someone. Tanveer Hayat Khan agree that mass media can play a good
role in solving social problems in the community which resist to development of the Society. He

62
agrees that mass media especially social media have a great hand in the cultural diffusion. He
also says that mass media promote popular culture through cultural programs on television and
also in newspapers. He says that mass media promote learning abilities of the students but it
depends on the use of the peoples for which purpose they use it. It can promote the learning
abilities, through reading, watching and listening. Tanveer Hayat Khan says that mass media
affect their student life according to him it is also the wastage of time because of daramas and
other entertainment programs it waste the time of students. At last he suggest that the use of mass
media should be proper, objective and real. We need to give not much time because it can affect
the other life basic activities.

4.5 Case Study…..5

Wareesha belongs to Thana. He is the student of Botany 4th semester at the University of
Malakand. She is 21 years old and belongs to a middle-class nuclear family. His father is a
business man. She knows about mass media, in response she gives positive reply and then asked
from its specification, he said that mass media involve internet, the electronic media etc., which
provide information of deferent kind due to which majority of people get information at a time.
In the response of use of mass media in daily life, she said that she use various types of Mass
Media just like Facebook, twitter, instagram, newspaper, television and other internet sources.
Similarly about the purpose of Mass Media, in response she said that mostly she use it for
information and studies purposes. About the main objective of Mass Media she told that it
provides information at one time to the majority of people and spread it like a fire in the world.
As for as concerned to the believes of Mass Media information. In response she denied, however
she accept it a source of information to which access of everyone is impossible. For building
thoughts / opinion about an issue and their specification. She told that Mass Media is solid
source to build the opinion of the society people about an issue, and that source is mostly broad
cost in throughout media. About the power and getting attention to an issue, she think that media
have a power because it build the opinion on a specifies issue and she give the example of the
murder of Mashal Khan. She was asked about the Television and established newspaper for more
information. She told that it is a source of information but not cover the while society because of
lack of access of every person of the society. About the district people from thinking about thing
that matters. She told that due to the power of Mass media the people start thinking and enforce

63
the authority to do something about the matter and solved the problems in future. About his
personal defense in thoughts from other peoples she told that due to the student of law, he wants
free and fair trail of every issue and matter per law. Similarly she was asked about public opinion
and their point of view, she told that mostly the public entrapped in clutches of main media. As
for as the prominent role of mass media in shaping of public opinion, she response positively and
give the example of Panama decision, which build public opinion, some in favor and some
against and nobody knows about the real matter, as well as the happening inside the court, the
decision etc. when asked from her about his own opinion about mass media and its role. She told
that the society is in the influence of media and due to that very cause it play a critical role in
building public opinion. For delivering one sided information by mass media he response in
positive and gave the recently example of P.T.I strike in Islamabad. In which ARY News
channel in fever and Geo News was totally against the P.T.I and in favor of Muslim League (N).
Similarly the use of mass media for education, she said that all the material of research is
available in internet. Due to which the research work increased in every field of life. As for as
concerned to the effect upon the values of society. She told that the internet facilities badly effect
the values of our society by watching from movies and other such like picture and activities
loaded in net. Asking about their personal perception in such bad material in net, she told that
every things has merits and demerits and advantage and disadvantage, it depend upon the
personal approach and set of mind that how can he used it. About the effect of mass media upon
social life, she said every one afraid the leaks of information in net and due to pashtoon society it
effect badly our society and social life. on the question of behavior change, attitude or opinion,
she reply in positive and such that it built change and personal as well as social life behaviors,
attitude and opinions he also noted the example of hair style like media movies "thairy nam" etc.
about the role/play of mass media in development of any society. She said that while the change
of behaviour, attitude, opinion of the individual as well as social change. It leads to the
development of new society establishment. She also agree about the cultural diffusion of mass
media due to which new culture values adopted by other societies. due to that vary change the
popular culture values, customs appreciated and adopted, like nowadays the culture of European
etc. while about the learning abilities of students she told that it effect mostly student life some of
them gains more knowledge and research, while mostly waste their time in miss use of it . For

64
the suggestion she told that the Questioner is the best, however the mass media must be include
the various laws related to public and society such as defamation etc.

4.6 Case study….6

Naeem Khan belongs to Munda. He is the student of Social work Final year at the
University of Malakand. He is 22 years old and belongs to a middle-class nuclear family. His
father is a business man. The respondent was interviewed and data have been collected about
Mass Media which is as under. He knows about the Mass Media According to him. It is a source
of information which updates the masses from day to day news of the world. According to him
current affairs either belongs to wars or terrorism or peace. The visit of most popular leader like
America spread over through Mass Media. On the question about using types of Mass Media he
use Said that internet (twitter) Urdu news, Application, Face book, hangout, hate me up, Imo,
Skype, WhatsApp, various newspapers, monthly digest , book for academic carriers. according
to his statement of purpose, he use Mass Media to inform himself from day to day life in every
sphere of life of individual us well as public and currently affairs burning issues, share
information with friends and other people of world, he also use it for current report,
entertainments, games etc. the main objective of Mass media, according to him aware public
from world news and inform peoples how to bring change in every aspect, sphere of life, how to
socialize the peoples and adopt new change in every sphere of life on asking about the belief of
information, he said that 70% information based on correct, while 30% is baseless and needs
investigation, he also give the example of Mashal case. Panama leaks, down leaks. About the
building of thoughts /opinion towards an issue, he give positive response and give the example of
Mashal Khan and blasphemy. Getting attention and their power towards as issue, his response
was positive and he gave the example of various virus and dengue. When asked from him about
the established newspaper and television, he told that it is more and more informative for the
people toward an issue and problems. About the destruction of public thinking toward issue and
problems Mass Media destruct the thinking capacity of people and mostly they use the time in
mass media. Similarly about the differences to other people his response was in negative and
show the same thoughts as the other people thoughts. His thoughts about the public opinion, he
said that Mass Media is a source of information and Web, network with one another. Other
question about the role of Mass Media in shaping of Public opinion, he said yes due to Mass

65
Media the public make their opinion and belief that the information given by media is correct.
When asked from him about one side information he told that mostly use it gives one side
information and give the example of Dawn leaks which was one sided information. About the
Education of Masses, he said that yes it make the people to educate and aware nationally,
internationally through Google, search and other such like sources. in his opinion the mass media
cinema, television effect the social values, names, way of thinking, opinion about dresses, way of
life etc. on asking about perception mass media, according to him it is a source of information
and communication through which good and bad information shared and given to the public,
about the effect upon the social life according to him, it badly effect the social life, It waste the
time and a man cannot effort to work. Accordingly in routine life about the change of behavior,
attitude or opinion he said that mass media change our behavior, attitude, or opinion and adopt
other nation‘s life styles, like dress, hair, thinking norms and values. on asking about the rules
about the mass media and the development of society, his response was positive and told that
through the mass media the people as well as various countries knows the new technologies,
science and adopt and use that for their country development similarly he also give his opinion
about culture diffusion basic element is mass media through which one culture defuse to other
society, and community and country without delay of time and distance. about the popular
culture he said that the popular culture promote through mass media, he give the example movies
and the culture of media about the increasing of learning ability of student his answer is yes. He
said through various means the students learned on mass media searching research, Novels,
newspapers, articles on live lecture upon various subject and so many other things. About the
effect upon the student like of mass media, his response is negative, and his opinion it does not
affect the life of student, while he accepted that it enhance the knowledge of the student. About
the suggestion in this matter, he said that mostly the people of Pakistan used mass media for
negative purpose while in Europe and other advance developed counties it is used for positive
purpose and new knowledge.

66
 Section “B”

4.7 Findings from Interviews

Most of our interviews were from students, and all of them knew about the mass media,
their use, and positive as well as negative consequences of mass media. From the interviews we
found that ―Mass media is a source which provide and share the information about everything
which happens around us. Most of the people use mass media just for the entertainment but some
student have use it for their academic purpose. Most of the people did not believe 100% on the
information deliver by the mass media. Mass media builds thoughts/opinions about an issue
because the mass media have power to get the attention of peoples towards an issue. The
television and established newspapers make the people more informed because in every home
there must be a television which provide latest news and information to the people. The complex
collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views is called public
opinion. Mass media play a prominent role in shaping of public opinion because mass media
publicizing an issue story on news and the opinion of people builds smoothly about an issue,
most interviewers give the example of Panama case that how mass media builds their opinion
about this. Television, Radio, and established newspapers educate the people especially females
which is living inside the house and see everything on television just like different food
preparation techniques, and from daramas they learn that how to behave in particular situation.
Pakistani Cinema, film industry, and darama industry destroy the Pashto culture and values they
provide a way to the new generation that there is nothing in pukhton society except fight and
killing. The perception of people towards mass media is positive and everyone says that mass
media is the primary source of providing information. Mass media affect the social life of people
because now a days everyone busy on Facebook, twitter, and YouTube etc. and they have no
time for other social activities of their life. Mass media plays an important role in the
development of any society because they aware people from everything, and also a basic element
of cultural diffusion because they transfer a cultural trait from one society to another through
television, Radio, newspaper and books etc. Mass media promote learning abilities through
internet and electronic books etc. Because of the excessive use of mass media can affect the
academic and social life of the students.

67
Chapter # 5
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary

This research work explores the role of mass media in the shaping of public opinion in
the lives of students studying at the University of Malakand. This study is qualitative in nature
and stratified random sampling is used. The tools used for data collection are Interview schedule,
Case studies, and key informant interviews.

This study has critically shown the relevance of the mass media in molding and
influencing public opinion and public service. Looking at the agenda setting theory of the mass
media, the researchers were able to show how the mass media influence and build opinion
thereby creating public service.

The research has also reviewed the history of the major media outlets in Pakistan and
how they influence and mold the opinion of the people of this era. It gave a brief account of
historical evaluation of mass media. It also explores the positive as well as negative aspects of
Pakistani media. The researchers also discussed the factors for growth of Pakistani media.

Also, this research work did not held back challenges the media faces in the bid to mold
public opinion and create public service. It highlighted the role of mass media in Pakistan, The
influence of mass media on Society, Theories regarding the role of mass media, Public opinion,
Positive impacts of mass media on public opinion as well as discussed negative impacts on
public opinion, and explores the role of mass media in shaping of public opinion.

However this research is carried out using the secondary and primary methods (although the
questionnaire method was not utilized) of data collection. The primary method involved the
interview and discussion to gather firsthand information from lecturers, journalists and other
knowledgeable individuals while the secondary method involved the exploration of already
available written books and articles from the library, the internet, the newspapers, journals, etc.

68
5.2 Conclusion

Conclusively, studies from various books, interviews, journals, newspapers, magazines and
other materials from the internet and library has revealed that the mass media mold public
opinion.

Considering the way the mass media has been used sin inception in Pakistan, it is
undoubtable that the mass media have been the major source of the formation of attitude of the
Pakistani community in areas such as cultural sustenance and transmission, education,
enlightenment, political enlightenment and building the spirit of national integration and active
involvement in public service and public opinion.

The mass media educates people about the world outside of their locale boundaries at the
same time it also inform audiences about the world and its surroundings. This may come in the
form of news products, entertainment programmes or other media sources, for eg. Trending news
topics shared on Facebook.

The mass media is known as the national watchdogs of a nation and therefore it is
essential for the media professionals to measure what they are publishing as news for the public.
Following intensified intra-industry competition, mass media corporations should not entirely
turn into an unsocial commercial institution.

Television and newspapers have the power it takes to shape the thinking power of the
public through spillover and dissemination of news and help common people build an opinion
regarding a person, a political party, any issue or even about a country. It is therefore the
responsibility of the journalists to be accurate, fair and ethical towards their jobs. Mass media
should be for the welfare of the mass within a society rather than the benefits being confined to a
particular segment of the population. Due to the fact that media affects the way of thinking of its
audience, it must stick to the ethical code of media journalism and must not publish or broadcast
anything that may vulgarize or brutalize the society.

Society is influenced by media in so many ways. It is the media for the masses that helps
them to get information about a lot of things and also to form opinions and make judgments
regarding various issues. Along with its Evolution, mass media has had uncountable effects on
the society, of which some where good while most were bad. It means that mass media has got

69
both positive & negative effects on our society at large, but it is unfortunate that the negativity
heavily outnumbers the positivity. The main reason behind this has been excessive amount of
media intervention in the social issues.

Media intervention in the society is desirable since it acts as checks and balances to
counter the tyranny of the social elites, etc. However it becomes undesirable when the media
gives undue importance to small social issues and unnecessarily magnifies them. Due to
highlighting of these minor issues, many a times the relatively more important social &
economic issues get neglected. Thus the society gets adversely affected.

The media plays a prominent essential role in the formation of public opinion through
several influential organs such as the press, radio, television, cinema, theater, books and social
networking sites, which is one of the most important means of communication with the public.

5.3 Recommendations

Based on the findings and conclusion of this study, the following recommendations are

drawn. They are:

 That the mass media should provide accurate, positive, clear, and true information to the

people, because people believe on media and media are the basic for the formation of

public opinion.

 The television and cinema affects our society and values, they should to give positive

response and provide the real picture of Pakistani society to the world.

 The use of mass media should be proper, objective and real. We need to give not much

time because it can affect our social life activities.

 In Pakistan people use mass media just for entertainment we have to avoid this and use

the mass media for the creation of new knowledge and inventions.

 Mass media should have to play a prominent role between the masses and government,

they should have to be neutral not one-sided.

70
  Government should promote the level of media and monitor the whole system of media.

This research study provide a background and open new channels for further research,

which are mentioned below.

 How does mass media affect cultural diffusion?

 How does mass media affect people and shape their perception of reality?

 How has mass media affected the public's view of other cultures?

 Does mass media creates a negative impact on youth?

 What is the impact of mass media on women, culture and society?

71
 References
 Tim Lambert ―A brief history of newspaper‖ 2012, page 7.
 Mukhtar naveed, ―Media in Pakistan: Between radicalisation and democratisation in an
unfolding conflict", International Media Support, July 2009, page 30.
 Ahmad Noorani Article ―Pakistani broadcasting corporation‖ 22 may 2014, page 9.
 Kim, Byung-Keun (2005). ―Internationalising the Internet the Co-evolution of Influence
and Technology‖. Edward Elgar. pp. 51–55.
 Curran, James, and Michael Gurevitch. 2000. ―Mass Media and Society”. A Hodder
Arnold Publication.p 23.

 Rodman, George. 2006. ―Mass Media In A Changing World”. McGraw-Hill. P 5.

 Stovall, James Glen. 2005. ―Writing for the Mass Media”, 6th Edition. P 7.
 Thompson, J. 1995. ―The Media and Modernity”. Stanford, CA: Stanford University
Press.p 9.
 Mockba 2012 ― Mass media and its functions‖ p 12.
 http://www. Wickipedia.com, 12,5,2017.
 IMS (International Media service) report, 2009, p 15
 Lambert, 2012. ― Mass media and the society‖ p 7.
 Seta Hadeshian, 2006, “Public Opinion - The role of Media‖, p 4.
 Catherine Happer, Greg Philo, 2010, ―The Role of the Media in the Construction of
Public Belief and Social Change‖ p 79.
 Boykoff, M. T. (2011). Who speaks for the climate? Making sense of media reporting
on climate change. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press
 Azam, Muhammad (2008): Radicalization and Media, Conflict and Peace
Studies, vol.1. PIPS 2008. P 67.
 Graber, Doris A. 1988. Processing the News: How People Tame the Information
Tide. Second edition. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America.p 179.
 McQuail, Denis. 1993. Media Performance: Mass Communication and the Public
Interest. London: Sage.p 123.
 Noelle-Neumann, Elisabeth. 1984. The Spiral of Silence: Public Opinion - Our Social
Skin. University of Chicago Press. P168.

72
 Callahan, S. ―New Challenges of Globalization for Journalism‖. Journal of Mass
Media Ethics, p 18, (2003).
 Munawar Sabir, ‗Analysis of Mass Media: Influences On Socio-Political
Perceptions and Stability in Pakistan,‘ Journal of Political Studies 19, no. 1
(2012): 145.
 Shaukat Zafar, ‗Destructive Role of Media,‘ Daily Pakistan Observer, 6
June 2013. P 79.
 ZainalAbedin, ‗Sale Value of Religious Zeal Blind Spot of Pakistan‘s Media
Activism,‘ South Asia Journal, entry posted September 22, 2011,
http://southasiajournal.net/2011/09/sale-value-of-religious-zeal-blindspot-of-
pakistans-media-activism/ (accessed 13 November, 2013).
 Shamshad Ahmad, ‗Media Power and Responsibility‘, Daily The Nation,
14 November, 2013.
 Atif Saeed, ‗Role of Media in Pakistan,‘ Young Journalists, 2014
http://www.youngjournalist.pk/pakistan/role-of-media-
inpakistan/#sthash.u8czn9ky.XiAoqJHH.dpbs
 J J Khan, comment on ‗Terrorism and the Role of Media,‘ Pakistan
Politics Discuss Forum, comment posted October 21, 2009,
http://pkpolitics.com/discuss/topic/terrorism-and-the-role-of-media
 Christians, C, Glasser, T., McQuail, D., Nordenstreng, K. and White, R. (2009)
Normative Theories of the Media: Journalism in Democratic Societies. Urbana, IL:
Illinois University Press. P56.
 Christians, C. and Nordenstreng, K. ‗Media Responsibility Worldwide‘. (2004)
Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 1/2004, 3-28.
 Cohler, A., Miller, B. and Stone, H. (eds.) (1989) Montesquieu: The Spirit of the
Laws. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. P279.
 Galtung, J. (1999) ‗State, Capital, and the Civil Society: The Problem of
Communication‘. In R. Vincent, K. Nordenstreng and M. Traber (eds.), Towards
Equity in Global Communication: MacBride Update. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press,
pp. 3-21.
 Crag, Watson 2010 ― Social research and its problems‖.

73
 INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
The following questions have been made purely for academic purpose and the researchers will
only use for academic purpose. Your willingness to contribute to this will help the researchers to
reach the conclusion of the study and suggest some policies for the solutions.
Department and semester of the respondent
_____________________________________
Gender of the respondent
_____________________________________
Age of the respondent
_____________________________________
Profession of the respondent
_____________________________________
Do you know about mass media? If yes then specify please what mass media is?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What type of mass media you use in your daily life?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________
For what purpose you use mass media?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
In your point of view what is the main objective of mass media?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Do you believe on the information deliver by mass media? If yes then specify please.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

74
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
Have the mass media build your thoughts/ opinion about an issue? If yes then specify
please.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Does the mass media have power to get your attention to an issue? Can you give an
example?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Do the television and established newspapers make people more informed? If yes how?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Do the mass media distract people from thinking about things that matters? And how?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Do you feel any difference in your thoughts as compared to other people?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Do you know, what is public opinion? In your point of view what is public opinion?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

75
Do you accept mass media play a prominent role in shaping of public opinion? If yes/no
how?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________
What is your opinion about the role of mass media in shaping of public opinion?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Do you believe that mass media deliver one sided information? If no then specify please.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Has the mass media educate the masses?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Does mass media (cinema, television) affect our society and values?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What is your perception about mass media? And why does this perception exists?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Does mass media affect your social life? If yes then how specify please.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

76
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Due to mass media, did you feel any change in your behavior, attitude or opinion? If yes
then specify please.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Does the mass media play important role in the development of any society? If yes/no then
specify please.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Do you agree that mass media is the basic element of cultural diffusion? If yes/no then
please specify.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Is the mass media promote popular culture? If yes then please specify.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Does the mass media promote learning abilities of the students?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Does mass media affect your student life? If yes then please specify.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Any suggestion
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

77