ارتباطات و روزنامه‌نگاری توسعه به‌مثابه پیشران تاب‌آوری شهری در میان شهروندان: با تکیه بر عملکرد متقابل نشریات محلی و شهرداری شیراز

جمشید آراسته; سمیرا  کیهان پور

Authors

Jamshid Arasteh Assistant Professor, Department of Art, Eram Institute of Higher Education, Senior Researcher, Shiraz Municipality, Shiraz, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7996-8537
Samira Keihanpour Master's degree in Visual Communication, Department of Art, Eram Institute of Higher Education, Shiraz, Iran Author

Keywords:

Communications, Urban Resilience, Development Journalism, Urban Management, Local Publications

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the communication performance of Shiraz Municipality and determine the extent to which local newspaper coverage corresponded with the principles of development journalism and the requirements of urban resilience. This descriptive–analytical study employed content analysis and the Practical Discourse Analysis Method. The study population comprised all 681 news items and reports concerning Shiraz Municipality published in the local newspapers Khabar-e Jonoub, Sobhan, and Tamasha from August 1 to October 22, 2022. Of these materials, 201 were published by Khabar-e Jonoub, 272 by Sobhan, and 208 by Tamasha. Each complete news item or report constituted a unit of analysis, and the materials were classified into 35 thematic categories. Discourse analysis was conducted through the three stages of description, interpretation, and explanation to identify the newspapers’ orientations, the municipality’s communication priorities, and the representation of development, sustainability, and urban resilience. The findings indicated that the communication discourse of the municipality and local newspapers was predominantly focused on construction projects, transportation and traffic, firefighting services, and green spaces. Fundamental dimensions of urban resilience, including education, health, employment, social-harm reduction, media, citizen participation, and passive defense, remained marginal. Urban resilience was neither explicitly and systematically incorporated into municipal planning and managerial discourse nor established as a central signifier in local media coverage. The newspapers primarily reproduced accounts of municipal officials’ activities and demonstrated limited critical interpretation of policies, public accountability, representation of citizens’ voices, and presentation of development-oriented solutions. Consequently, the prevailing coverage was organizationally driven, personality-centered, and informational rather than participatory, analytical, and consistent with development journalism. Strengthening urban resilience requires the redesign of municipal communication policies, greater professional independence for local media, and a transition from promotional reporting toward analytical, participatory, and accountability-oriented journalism. By promoting public awareness and facilitating sustained dialogue between citizens and local authorities, local newspapers can become effective drivers of civic participation, institutional responsibility, responsive urban governance, and the development of a more sustainable, livable, and resilient city.

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