Exploring Public Perception about the Framing of Politicians in the Mirror of Comedy TV shows of Pakistan

Abstract

Private TV channels in Pakistan have established a new tradition of comedy shows in which they portrayed our politicians in hilarious manners as corrupt, greedy, fighting for power, pelf and personal interest etc. This article explored a comprehensive perception of the people regarding the framing of Politicians through caricatures in the leading comedy shows. A survey of 774 respondents was administered in the Islamabad city by utilizing the probability sampling method.  The Findings of the study revealed that the majority of people were convinced that comedy TV shows are presenting a true picture of our politicians and they are responsible for bad governance and political instability in Pakistan. Most of the viewers were sure that female politicians and religious politicians were not being depicted in a more humiliating way as compared to other politicians. They expressed their concern regarding the integrity of the leadership of the mainstream political parties and they also believed that our politicians are liars and they are involved in embezzlement of money.

 

Keywords: framing of politicians, public perception, political satire, comedy TV shows