© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2007 DOI: 10.1163/156853107X203414 Asian Journal of Social Science 35 (2007) 154–178 www.brill.nl/ajss Government Advertisements — Inﬂuence on Print Media Content: A Content Analysis of the Leading Newspapers of Pakistan Saqib Riaz Department of Mass Communication, Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad, Pakistan Abstract Most of the books on Journalism, Mass Communication and Media Studies discuss and elabo- rate the areas of process and the eﬀects of mass communication. Tese books deal with the eﬀects of media content on people and society but it is equally important to understand the inﬂuences that shape media content. Media, not only inﬂuence target audience, but themselves are inﬂuenced by a number of factors. It has been found by research that media content is inﬂuenced by the personal attitudes and orientations of media workers, professionalism, corporate policies, ownership patterns, the economic environment, advertisers, audiences, ideology and above all, the governments (Shoemaker & Reese, 2004:4). Tis study investigates the inﬂuence of Govern- ment on print media content in Pakistan based on its advertising power and being the largest advertiser of the country. Keywords media content, manipulation of reality, political economy, media ownership, media-government relationship, economic goals Media are considered as powerful tools to mould public opinion. Te power of media has been acknowledged everywhere in the world. Even world leaders had a fear of media. In the words of Napolian, “I fear from media even more than one hundred guns” and in the words of George the Eighth, “I fear from Times (newspaper) more than Tames (river in London).” (Hijazi, 2004:149). Media eﬀects on society are very much apparent. But on the other hand, media themselves are inﬂuenced by a number of factors. One of these inﬂuences is the inﬂuence of government. Although, governments have a number of techniques and strategies to inﬂuence media content, the power and inﬂuence of advertisements is the focus of this research. Tis study investigates how AJSS 35,2_f3_154-178.indd 154 AJSS 35,2_f3_154-178.indd 154 6/5/07 8:59:19 AM 6/5/07 8:59:19 AM