How Mainstream Medias Agenda Influence the Local Newspapers Priorities?

Abstract

Media in Pakistan varies from local to national level. This study investigates Pakistan’s two mainstream and two local newspapers contents—while taking China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a case study— for agenda setting patterns and influence on each other. A look at various newspapers in Pakistan suggests that every Newspaper is almost copy of its contemporaries. The main objective of the study is to highlight that mainstream media influence local media. The main significance of my study and research is to create the importance of local newspapers. The case study for this research is "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor" (CPEC), a controversial and political issue between federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Methodology for this study is qualitative content analysis guided by Agenda setting theory. The analysis found the following themes, which became part of the public as well as political discourse in the ongoing debate on CPEC. It was concluded that mainstream media partially influenced the Print media agenda.