Data: Framing Dissent in South Asia: A Thematic and Discourse Analysis of Al Jazeera’s Coverage of Youth-Led Movements in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka

The study examined Al Jazeera’s news framing of recent youth-led movements in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Drawing on qualitative content analysis, particularly Reflexive Thematic Analysis and Interpretive Discourse Analysis, the study investigated how the network constructed meanings around political engagement, generational identity, and government accountability. The findings indicated that Al Jazeera consistently positioned youth, particularly ‘Gen Z,’ as central actors in these movements, framing them as ‘heroes of democratic renewal.’ Across three national contexts, coverage exhibits a shared thematic emphasis on the rejection of incumbent authority, and portrayed ‘state repression’ as a catalyst for mobilization against authoritarian governments. Overall, Al Jazeera’s framing contributed to the production of a regional narrative in which youth are imagined as a coherent transnational political force capable of redefining the political community. Given that the analysis focused on a single news outlet and does not claim representational completeness, future research may extend this line of inquiry by incorporating multiple media platforms, comparative outlets, and mixed methodological approaches