A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONALENGLISH NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF THE 2025 PAKISTAN FLOODS

Abstract

This study examines how national and international English newspapers construct awareness of environmental
change during the 2025 Pakistan floods through linguistic and discursive strategies. Based on the Critical
Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework of Fairclough (1995), the study provides an analysis of the chosen articles
of Pakistani Dawn, The News International, and Express Tribune) and international (Reuters/AP, The New York
Times and The Washington Post) newspapers. This textual analysis is based on textual attributes (vocabulary,
modality, transitivity, and metaphors), and discursive and socio-cultural practices. The evidence suggests that
the main frames of national newspapers present floods in terms of political, developmental, and governancebased narratives, focusing on institutional responses and local responsibility. International newspapers, on the
contrary, frame the floods in the context of a global climatic crisis narrative, revealing vulnerability,
humanitarian issues, and climate injustice. Comparative analysis shows that there is a lot of difference in terms
of ideology in the Global South and Global North media representations. The research adds to the discussion on
media and environmental communication by showing how language influences the general perception of climaterelated disasters.