Interdisciplinary Studies in Media and Culture

The Role of Domestic Media in Legitimizing the Efficiency of the Islamic Republic of Iran with an Emphasis on Foreign Policy Power Based on the Hypodermic Needle Theory

Articles in Press

Document Type : .

Author

Majid Ahmadi

Faculty member, Islamic Studies Department, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran

10.30465/ismc.2025.51570.2940
Abstract
This study aims to examine the role of domestic media in legitimizing the efficiency of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with a specific focus on foreign policy power, through the lens of the Hypodermic Needle Theory. The central question is how state-affiliated media represent elements of power in foreign policy to contribute to the perception of political efficiency and legitimacy. The hypothesis suggests that media, by reinforcing discourses of resistance and national strength, help shape public opinion to support the regime’s performance. This research adopts a qualitative content analysis method with an inductive approach. The statistical population consists of all domestic media reports related to Iranian foreign policy, with a purposive sample of 30 selected news items from official agencies such as ISNA, Fars, Mehr, Tasnim, Tabnak, and Mashregh News. Findings reveal that media emphasize themes such as national security, regional influence, and dignity-oriented diplomacy to construct a narrative of governmental efficiency in foreign policy. The study concludes that these media narratives function as mechanisms of performance-based legitimacy, consistent with the assumptions of the Hypodermic Needle Theory.

Keywords

Legitimacy
efficiency
authority
media
politics
foreign
Interdisciplinary Studies in Media and Culture

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 18 April 2025

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