Özet:

This research is aimed to investigate the role of electronic media in disaster management in Pakistan. Both stakeholders - electronic media & disaster management - are two different approaches but they became inevitable for each other especially after 2000 with the influx of electronic media in Pakistan. The study employs qualitative research with semi-structured method as In-Depth Interviews with open ended questions. Different Interview Protocol Guides with certain modifications were used for In-Depth Interviews to collect qualitative data. The research underhand widens its canvas with Lahore-based top ten News Channels to collect data from director news, bureau chiefs, and reporters covering disasters. The data was analyzed with the lenses of Thematic Analysis while treating each interview as a complete case to discuss the overall phenomena as a case study analysis as well and to investigate the research problem. According to the findings, electronic media is an integral stakeholder of disaster management cycle, but it is charged of creating sensationalism on important events of disasters in Pakistan. The findings showed owing to non-availability of information sharing mechanism of disaster management departments, the news channels air news relying on their sources. News channels in Pakistan are working with gate-keeping approach during coverage of disasters. However, there is no comprehensive media management policy of the government for coverage of disasters. This research may further open new horizons for future researchers on the aforementioned subject.

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