Determining the Concept of National Development in Iranian Newspapers: Exploring Reformism and Conservatism Periods

Maryam Esfandiari^1, , Alireza Hosseini Pakdehi², Hadi Khaniki² and Junxi Yao¹

¹School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

²School of Communication Sciences, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran

Cite this paper:
Maryam Esfandiari, Alireza Hosseini Pakdehi, Hadi Khaniki and Junxi Yao. Determining the Concept of National Development in Iranian Newspapers: Exploring Reformism and Conservatism Periods. World Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. 2021; 7(2):63-67. doi: 10.12691/wjssh-7-2-4

Abstract

This paper aims to understand the concept of development in Iranian newspaper editorials during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, known as reformism and conservatism periods, respectively. To this end, a quantitative content analysis of 440 editorials was carried out to investigate four dimensions of development. The findings indicated that the evolution of the development concept was varied in reformism and conservatism periods. The concept of development with indicators such as freedom of speech, dynamic communications with foreign states, and establishment of civil society were highlighted in the editorials of the press during the reformism period. Whereas, in the editorials during the conservatism period, the focus was on economic development and indicators such as targeted subsidy plans and reaching nuclear energy.

Keywords:
communication and development national development journalism Iran reformism conservatism

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