A Comparative View of Political News in Bangladeshi Media Before and After the July Movement
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65826/JSAI.1.1.2026.60Keywords:
July Movement, Bangladeshi Media, Political News, Agenda-setting, FramingAbstract
Drawing on Agenda-Setting, Framing, and Sourcing theories, this study investigates the comparative coverage of political news in Bangladeshi media before and after the July Movement of 2024. The research aims to understand how the movement influenced media narratives, framing, tone and sources in print, online and television outlets. Using a mixed-method approach combining quantitative content coding of 1,150 news items with qualitative thematic textual analysis of framing strategies, the study examined major Bangla and English newspapers, online portals, and television channels across two periods: January–June 2024 (pre-July) and August-December 2024 (post-July). Coding categories included topic salience, tone toward political actors, framing of issues, source diversity and prominence. Findings reveal significant shifts in coverage post-July: protest-related issues became highly salient, tone toward government turned more negative while student and civil society voices were portrayed positively, framing emphasized democracy, accountability and rights over law-and-order concerns, and sourcing became more pluralistic. These results suggest that large-scale social movements can influence media narratives and expand the diversity of political voices in the public sphere. The study contributes to the understanding of media dynamics in Bangladesh, highlighting the role of media in shaping political discourse during periods of social upheaval. Implications for journalism, policy and future research are discussed.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Mahabubul Alam, Fabiha Binte Haque
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