International Media Coverage of PM Imran Khan’s Speech in the UNGA-2019: A Content Analysis

Abstract

The United Nations General Assembly is very important because it is the main policy-making body of the United Nations. Leaders from around the world meet once a year at the UNGA to highlight and discuss global issues. The UNGA meeting in 2019 is of utmost importance for Muslims globally especially in Pakistan as the then Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan delivered an 'impassioned' speech at the meeting where he spoke about climate change, money laundering and shed light on Islamophobia and Kashmir issue. Mr. Khan's speech received a lot of attention from the international media which highlighted various aspects of his speech. This research endeavor is an attempt to explore and analyze how Al Jazeera, daily the Dawn, Hindustan Times, and The New York Times covered and portrayed the speech. The researcher has attempted to explore and analyze the various narratives created by the media around the central themes of the speech. Employing the content analysis the researcher has found that the Al Jazeera portrayed Mr. Khan as a leader who tackles difficult issues around the world with a combination of criticism and compassion. Daily the Dawn highlighted Mr. Khan's speech as a foreshadowing of the burning issues in the world, with the Pakistani prime minister trying to sensitize global leadership. Daily the Hindustan Times treated the speech critically and skeptically. Daily The New York Times presented Mr. Khan's speech as a 'rigorous', 'clear' and 'straightforward' stand on the issues raised in his speech.