Intermedia agenda-settingeffects between social media (X) and traditional media (Geo News and Dawn) during the 2025pahalgam conflict between Pakistan and India

Background and Purpose: The Pahalgam conflict (2025) between India and Pakistan in the Kashmir region received immense attention on both traditional and social media platforms. It is generally believed that social media influence the agenda of traditional media during such events. However, empirical evidence for this claim is required. In this study, the researchers apply the intermedia agenda-setting approach to examine whether the social media were able to set the agenda for traditional media or vice versa. Methodology: A quantitative content analysis was employed to analyse the relevant news stories on one leading TV channel (Geo News), in one newspaper (Dawn), and on social media (X) from April 24 to May 21, 2025. For this purpose, 700 news stories and 3420 X posts were systematically selected. Cross-lagged correlations were performed to examine whether the X posts set the agenda of the news on Geo News and in the Dawn newspaper during the Pahalgam conflict between the two countries. Findings: The findings reveal that both Geo TV and the Dawn newspaper preceded the debates on the Pahalgam conflict, and X followed the angles and points of discussion. Both the political and military elites mainly resorted to the traditional media to initiate discussions on the various dimensions of the conflict. These debates and discussions were then reported on X, suggesting that traditional media set the agenda for social media in Pakistan. Contributions: The study makes three contributions. At the theoretical level, it shows that media influence varies with context: in moments of national security crisis, traditional media still command greater authority than their social counterparts. At the methodological level, it develops a comparative framework through which traditional and social media can be examined side by side in strategic communication research. At the practical level, the findings underline that traditional media remain consequential during geopolitical conflicts. Keywords: Inter-media agenda setting, Kashmir, content analysis, X, traditional media, Pakistan. Cite as: Shahzad, F., Khan, M. H., Qazi, T. A., & Qaisrani, I. H. (2026). Intermedia agenda-setting effects between social media (X) and traditional media (Geo News and Dawn) during the 2025 pahalgam conflict between Pakistan and India. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 11(2), 455-476. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol11iss2pp455-476