Environmental Governance and Media Agenda-Setting: A Case Study from Iran

One of the most important factors influencing environmental governance is public perception—and, according to agenda-setting theory, the media tell people what to think about. To investigate this issue, news related to the Gotvand Dam—recognized as one of the most controversial water planning and management projects in Iran—was collected and coded over a 20-year period by source (such as environmental organizations, state agencies, local administrations, and academia) and thematic aspect (such as hydropower, flood control, and positive and negative environmental aspects). Using cumulative distribution function analysis, salience thresholds were determined for each aspect and examined. The results clearly showed that bias significantly influenced coverage of positive and negative environmental aspects across different periods and that the frames presented by the media correlated with political shifts in governance. The findings also revealed that media framing can raise public awareness about sustainable environmental management, but when politicized it can distort the narrative—which, in the context of a water-resource case, may lead to serious and destabilizing effects within the affected basin. The analysis indicates that this process has resulted in the accumulation of millions of tons of salt in the reservoir (in the case of the Gotvand Dam). Finally, the study argues that actions such as institutional reforms and NGO development are fundamental for sustainable environmental governance.