Constructing Narratives: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Media Coverage on a College Rape Allegation

Media discourse has the power to construct multiple narratives. This paper presented a critical discourse analysis of how the media masked an alleged rape case involving a female victim at one of the colleges in a developing country. It investigated the role of media outlets, ARY News and Geo News, constructing the incident, while framing an account of power and marginalising the victim’s voices. This study employed a qualitative research design. The three-dimensional model of Fairclough’s is selected to comprehend news reports. This research analysed events from October 12 to October 18, 2024, especially the primary report of the rape allegation, consequential student protests, and the response of government officials. This study revealed that both news channels consistently manipulated the issue through repetition, vague referencing, assertive sentences, loaded/neutral sentences and intertextuality. 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