Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Communication and Media

Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Communication and Media

Investigation of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)’s Media Discourse in the Face of the 12-Day War Between Iran and the Zionist Regime

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
jahandar amiri
Associate Professor, Department of Journalism and News, Faculty of Communication and Media, IRIB University, Tehran, Iran. (Corresponding Author).
10.22085/jiscm.2025.538889.1898
Abstract
This research aimed to analyze the media discourse of the IRIB in the face of the 12-day war between Iran and the Zionist regime (May 2025) in order to identify its central components in the three strategic missions of “legitimizing military actions”, “strengthening national cohesion”, and “building a resistance identity”. The main questions are: 1- What were the main components of the IRIB’s media discourse in this war? 2- How were the constituent features of these components and their identity narrative formed? The research was conducted with a qualitative approach and via a mixed method (qualitative content analysis of 15 popular programs, semi-structured interviews with 12 university professors and media managers, and image/language semiotics). Next, data were collected and analyzed using three-level coding (open, axial, selective). The findings revealed six key components: 1- Framing the discourse based on the narrative of "victory and legitimate defense" in the dual confrontation of right/wrong; 2- Linguistic engineering with loaded vocabulary (resistance, missile storm) and epic visual/audio symbols; 3- Triple value structure (resistance, revolutionary, unifying identity); 4- Selection of news sources (85% priority to official sources and the axis of resistance); 5- Linking national identity with revolutionary Islam; 6- Absolute othering by constructing the "Zionist regime as the evil other." Based on the results, by transforming the war into a "symbolic text," the IRIB reproduced the discourse of the Islamic Revolution in the triangle of "identity-building, othering, legitimizing," which led to national cohesion and the defeat of the enemy's narrative in the short term, although by eliminating critical voices, it revealed the limitations of the state media in times of crisis
Keywords
Discourse Analysis
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)
Media Warfare
Resistance Identity
Legitimate Defense
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