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Framing local democracy: Bengali newspapers' coverage of the 2023 West Bengal Panchayat Election.

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Title: Framing local democracy: Bengali newspapers' coverage of the 2023 West Bengal Panchayat Election.
Authors: Halder, Ayan1 (AUTHOR) ahjmc_rs@caluniv.ac.in, Banerjee, Sudeepa1 (AUTHOR)
Source: News Research Journal. Spring2026, Vol. 47 Issue 2, p125-153. 29p.
Subject Terms: *Newspapers, *Gender inequality, Election coverage, Local elections, Frames (Social sciences), Decentralization in government, Journalism, Political violence
Abstract: This article explores how two major Bengali-language dailies, Anandabazar Patrika and Ei Samay, covered the 2023 West Bengal Panchayat election, explicitly focusing on thematic emphasis, framing strategies and tonal orientation. Drawing on a quantitative content analysis of 561 articles published between the announcement of the election and the declaration of results, the study finds a substantial thematic concentration on campaign developments, electoral procedures and incidents of political violence. In contrast, concerns like gender equity, rural welfare and the issues facing marginalized groups were only occasionally mentioned. The election coverage mostly used episodic framing, with conflict frames taking center stage and strategy, issue and game frames being used more sparingly. Both newspapers maintained a broadly neutral tone overall, with Anandabazar Patrika showing a slightly more critical orientation than Ei Samay. The findings reveal a tendency toward descriptive rather than analytical reporting, potentially constraining citizens' meaningful participation in grassroots democracy. The study underscores the need for a more substantive and context-sensitive approach to local election coverage in regional vernacular journalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of News Research Journal is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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DbLabel: Education Research Complete
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PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: Framing local democracy: Bengali newspapers' coverage of the 2023 West Bengal Panchayat Election.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Halder%2C+Ayan%22">Halder, Ayan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> ahjmc_rs@caluniv.ac.in</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Banerjee%2C+Sudeepa%22">Banerjee, Sudeepa</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22News+Research+Journal%22">News Research Journal</searchLink>. Spring2026, Vol. 47 Issue 2, p125-153. 29p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Newspapers%22">Newspapers</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gender+inequality%22">Gender inequality</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Election+coverage%22">Election coverage</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Local+elections%22">Local elections</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Frames+%28Social+sciences%29%22">Frames (Social sciences)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Decentralization+in+government%22">Decentralization in government</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Journalism%22">Journalism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Political+violence%22">Political violence</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: This article explores how two major Bengali-language dailies, Anandabazar Patrika and Ei Samay, covered the 2023 West Bengal Panchayat election, explicitly focusing on thematic emphasis, framing strategies and tonal orientation. Drawing on a quantitative content analysis of 561 articles published between the announcement of the election and the declaration of results, the study finds a substantial thematic concentration on campaign developments, electoral procedures and incidents of political violence. In contrast, concerns like gender equity, rural welfare and the issues facing marginalized groups were only occasionally mentioned. The election coverage mostly used episodic framing, with conflict frames taking center stage and strategy, issue and game frames being used more sparingly. Both newspapers maintained a broadly neutral tone overall, with Anandabazar Patrika showing a slightly more critical orientation than Ei Samay. The findings reveal a tendency toward descriptive rather than analytical reporting, potentially constraining citizens' meaningful participation in grassroots democracy. The study underscores the need for a more substantive and context-sensitive approach to local election coverage in regional vernacular journalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of News Research Journal is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=193688534
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        Value: 10.1177/30497841261415621
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 29
        StartPage: 125
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Newspapers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Gender inequality
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Election coverage
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Local elections
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Frames (Social sciences)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Decentralization in government
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Journalism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Political violence
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      – TitleFull: Framing local democracy: Bengali newspapers' coverage of the 2023 West Bengal Panchayat Election.
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            NameFull: Halder, Ayan
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            NameFull: Banerjee, Sudeepa
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              M: 04
              Text: Spring2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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