Economy, Foreign Relations Dominate Pakistan’s Editorial Agenda in June 2026: Gallup & Gilani Study

Analysis of 1,699 opinion articles across 12 leading Urdu and English newspapers finds economy and foreign policy each accounted for 19% of editorial coverage, while political discourse ranked third

Hamid Khan Wazir

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s mainstream print media remained overwhelmingly focused on the economy and foreign relations during June 2026, with both themes emerging as the most discussed subjects in newspaper editorials and opinion columns, according to the latest Monthly Newspaper Content Analysis released by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan.

The 74th edition of the study, conducted under the supervision of Gallup & Gilani Pakistan Executive Director Bilal I. Gilani, analyzed 1,699 editorials and opinion columns published in 12 leading Urdu and English newspapers to identify the issues shaping public discourse and editorial priorities across the country.

The report found that Economy and Foreign Relations each accounted for 19 percent of all editorial content during June, making them the joint highest-covered topics. Politics followed with 13 percent, while Social Issues represented 10 percent of the coverage. Culture and Tourism accounted for 8 percent, whereas the US-Israel war on Iran received 7 percent of editorial attention.

The next tier of coverage included Crime and Terrorism (4%), followed by Governance, Climate and Environment, and Education (3% each). History accounted for 2 percent, while International Affairs, Middle East Crisis, Sports, Health, India-Pakistan Conflict, Religion, Media, Science and Technology, and the Energy Crisis each received 1 percent of the total coverage. Other issues including Poetry, Human Rights, Justice, Law and Order, and Security collectively accounted for less than one percent.

Economy Takes Centre Stage

According to the report, fiscal and macroeconomic issues dominated discussions within the economic category. Fiscal Policy alone accounted for 36 percent of all economy-related articles, followed by Macroeconomic Indicators (20%), Economic Inequality (16%), Taxation Issues (15%), Investment Trends (9%), Construction Sector (3%), and Critical Minerals (1%).

A word-cloud analysis further highlighted the prominence of terms such as Pakistan, economy, growth, development, investment, fiscal policy, taxation, budget, inflation, GDP, debt, exports, IMF, China, India, governance, energy, infrastructure, poverty, and stability, reflecting sustained media attention on the country's economic challenges and policy direction.

English Newspapers Prioritize Economy and Foreign Policy

The study also revealed notable differences between Urdu and English newspapers. In English-language publications, the Economy accounted for 15 percent of editorial coverage, compared to 4 percent in Urdu newspapers. Foreign Relations represented 13 percent in English publications versus 7 percent in Urdu newspapers.

Coverage of Politics remained identical across both languages at 7 percent, while Social Issues accounted for 5 percent in English newspapers and 6 percent in Urdu publications. Culture and Tourism received 3 percent coverage in English newspapers and 5 percent in Urdu newspapers. Similarly, the US-Israel war on Iran constituted 5 percent of English editorial content compared to 3 percent in Urdu publications.

June Witnesses Shift in Editorial Priorities

Comparing June with May 2026, the report found significant shifts in editorial focus.

Coverage of the Economy increased sharply from 14 percent in May to 19 percent in June, while Politics rose from 9 percent to 13 percent. Foreign Relations remained unchanged at 19 percent, maintaining its position among the most discussed issues.

In contrast, Culture and Tourism experienced a notable decline, dropping from 13 percent in May to 8 percent in June. Coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran also decreased slightly from 8 percent to 7 percent, while Middle East Crisis, International Affairs, India-Pakistan Conflict, Media, and Health all recorded lower levels of coverage during June.

Meanwhile, Social Issues (10%), Education (3%), Crime and Terrorism (4%), Energy Crisis (1%), Science and Technology (1%), and Religion (1%) remained largely stable throughout the two-month period.

Long-Term Media Monitoring

Gallup & Gilani Pakistan noted that the monthly content analysis forms part of its long-term effort to empirically understand how Pakistan’s mainstream media sets agendas and responds to evolving national and international developments.

Explaining the rationale behind the initiative, Executive Director Bilal I. Gilani said the study aims to examine how opinion pages in Urdu and English newspapers respond to current affairs, how themes evolve over time, and how discourse in print media interacts with television talk shows and broader public debate.

The June 2026 report was released by the Gilani Research Foundation and carried out by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, the Pakistani affiliate of Gallup International. The study covers 1,699 editorials and opinion articles published in 12 major national newspapers, making it one of the country's most comprehensive ongoing analyses of editorial trends.