Contextual Conditions Affecting Media Governance Based on Iranian–Islamic Value Foundations

Abstract

This study aimed to identify, explain, and validate the contextual conditions influencing the development and establishment of media governance based on Iranian–Islamic value foundations. This applied study employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, the Strauss and Corbin grounded theory approach was used to analyze semi-structured interviews with 12 experts in media governance, media management, and communication sciences, selected through snowball sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. The interview data were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding. In the quantitative phase, 357 participants were selected through stratified random sampling from a population of 5,912 media managers, senior experts, academics, researchers, journalists, editors, and media professionals. Data were collected using a researcher-developed 90-item questionnaire. The measurement and structural models were evaluated using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The structural model demonstrated that contextual conditions had a positive and statistically significant effect on media governance based on Iranian–Islamic value foundations (β=0.561, t=14.592, p<0.001), explaining 31.5% of its variance. The strongest indicators were the alignment of media organizational structures with societal cultural characteristics (0.823), interaction between society and the media and the resulting public trust (0.817), support from religious institutions for religious media (0.803), the complementary role of the educational system (0.794), the contribution of local media (0.792), and audience media literacy (0.781). Establishing value-oriented media governance requires the coordinated development of cultural, political, social, economic, educational, and technological contexts. Strengthening public trust, improving media literacy, supporting local media, enhancing institutional coordination, and redesigning media organizations in accordance with societal cultural characteristics can facilitate an efficient, accountable, legitimate, and future-oriented governance system grounded in Iranian–Islamic values.