Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2010, Journalism (Communication)

This study examines the New York Times, Times of London, Hindu, and Dawn coverage of the 2008 Mumbai attack. Since the U.S. and Britain had considerable interests in South Asia, the study used the framework of press nationalism to analyze the coverage. A content analysis of the coverage in the four newspapers suggests national interests were at work. The debate over the war and issues like religious unrest were different in the four newspapers. The Western press was unequivocal in condemning the war option; the coverage also reflected an agreement on issues like Kashmir and the War on Terror. The Asian media also focused on avoiding war but differed from each other on many aspects. Dawn raised issues like Muslim unrest and Hindu fanaticism while avoiding Pakistan's failure to curb terrorist activities. The Hindu was unambiguous in pinning the blame on Pakistan while condemning the failure of the Indian security apparatus.

Committee: Joseph Bernt PhD (Advisor); Hong Cheng PhD (Committee Member); Marilyn Greenwald PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Journalism