Measuring Media Compliance and Divergence in the Nondemocratic Press System

Abstract

This study examined the flow of government messages through Iran's nondemocratic press system by measuring the exchange of news frames from the national media apparatus, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), onto two commercial sources: ultra-conservative newspaper, Jomhuri-ye Eslami, and rare reformist daily, Aftab-e Yazd. This mixed-methods research compared the news coverage of Iran's nuclear program and subsequent conflicts with the United States and Israel. The findings revealed Jomhuri-ye Eslami's characteristic reflection of government policy messages (91% rhetoric-reception), signifying what this research calls the model of media compliance. Conversely, Aftab-e Yazd rejected the majority of IRNA (Government) frames (55% rhetoric-rejection), demonstrating not only an extraordinary breach in media compliance, but also the rare indications of anti-government/antiwar sentiments growing inside the Islamic Republic.

Keywords:

• Media Compliance
• Nondemocratic Press Systems
• Iranian Media
• Nuclear Conflict
• Reformist News

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Professor Anju Chaudhary, Professor Barbara Hines, and Professor Carolyn Byerly of Howard University for their invaluable insights and collective guidance throughout this research

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adam G. Klein

Adam G. Klein is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations at Hofstra University