Media Discourses on the Charaideo Maidams’ UNESCO World Heritage Nomination and the Proposal for The Sukafa University: A Print Media Analysis (May–December 2019)

Abstract

This study examines the role of print media in shaping public discourse and policy action regarding the UNESCO World Heritage nomination of the group of Maidams at Charaideo in Assam, India. Using a mixed-method content analysis of 30 news items published across 10 prominent Assamese and English newspapers between May and December 2019, the study evaluates the prominence, framing, and frequency of coverage. The findings reveal that print media significantly contributed to awareness generation and indirectly influenced governmental action, particularly in initiating cadastral surveys essential for UNESCO nomination and to established the Sukafa University. The study highlights the agenda-setting role of regional and national newspapers in heritage conservation.