City Research Online

Abstract

This dissertation analyses the media framing of Iran’s 2021 water protests. The study uses Entman’s (2003) Cascading Activation Model (CAM) to explore how news frames originating from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, are disseminated and challenged across media groups within and outside Iran’s censored media landscape. Additionally, it examines the role of social media in disrupting traditional information flows and news frames. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative analyses of news articles and Twitter (X) posts. The findings reveal that mainstream media prioritises elite-originated frames despite differing political, cultural, and media contexts. Iranian local (national) media appear to adhere more closely to the state's narrative, which is influenced by censorship and state control. International media, while contradicting the state narrative in Iran, still makes significant use of frames originating from the elite in Iran. The thesis also analyses the role of the diaspora and social media in distorting the flow of information and news frames coming out of Iran. At a time when climate change and environmental problems are on the rise, access to accurate information can save lives. In Iran, a country with severe water issues and environmental degradation, the public’s access to news is restricted by the regime, raising concerns about the future of the people who need to prepare for the consequences. This research adds to our understanding of the multi-textured media landscape in an authoritarian state like Iran by investigating the interaction between local, diasporic, international, and social media in the flow of frames.

Keywords
Framing; cascading activation model; authoritarian; water protests; social media; Iran; media; diaspora; Supreme Leader; drought.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare J Political Science > JQ Political institutions Asia N Fine Arts > NE Print media
Departments:	School of Communication & Creativity > Journalism School of Communication & Creativity > School of Communication & Creativity Doctoral Theses Doctoral Theses

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