Journal de communication de masse et de journalisme

Comparative Analysis of the Open and the Caravan Magazine's Coverage of Farmers' Protest Potrick

Abstract

Maseera Khan

On September 17, 2020, three farm laws were passed in Lok Sabha, viz., The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. The laws received major backlash from the farmers whom they were intended for. The ordinances led to the largest, peaceful sit-in protest in the history of mankind. The issue also attracted global attention (which invited criticism from the mainstream media). The incident was a litmus test of balanced reporting. In this paper, the coverage of the protests shows that the media constructs reality and holds the power to tilt the audience in favour of or against one player of the story. The discussion focuses on two English magazines- The Open and The Caravan, and their reportage on the subject matter. Frame analysis is utilized to streamline the stance of the magazines.