Examining the Coverage of Terrorist Activities in Afghanistan's Media: A Case study of TOLOnews

Abstract

The purpose of the present paper is to analyse the reporting of terrorist activities by TOLOnews in Afghanistan. Media is considered to be the best tool for influencing public opinion and leading the people’s minds to a particular viewpoint. So, in a post-war country like Afghanistan which is suffering from terrorism, it is significant for mass media to be cautious in reporting terrorist activities. By executing content analysis of thirty news stories it could be discerned that TOLOnews lacks professionalism in reporting terrorism activities. The findings further suggest that TOLOnews is incompetent in being a socially responsible media outlet in a developing country like Afghanistan. Inaccurate and sensitive headlines, too short leads and illusory background information are the main problems in the news reported by TOLOnews.