Promoting water literacy based on media performance in Isfahan

Increased urbanization and drought migration along with climate change is a major global crisis that requires changes in human behavior. This article seeks to harness the capacity of the media in general and new forms of water-related journalism in particular to promote citizens' water literacy. Accordingly, the present study was conducted in an interpretive paradigm based on qualitative methodology and using the data-based theory, and Strauss and Corbin Systematic Approach Foundation. Through theoretical sampling with experts in the fields of water, media, social sciences and communications, 34 in-depth interviews were conducted. The main concept of this research was considered to be the promotion of water literacy. By analyzing the data, in three coding steps, causal conditions (31 concepts), underlying factors (cultural conditions, political and social conditions, media diversity, geographical conditions, economic conditions), intervening factors (role of professional journalists, independence of journalists, politicization of the press, ambiguous future of Iranian journalism) and strategies (media interaction, industry interaction, educational institutions, academia and media, press pathology, social capital promotion, audience sociology, confidence building, gatekeeper democracy, technological convergence and journalism, contiguous content, establishment of newspaper association water writers, agile media interaction, and the creation of water journalism in schools, educational institutions, and universities) were obtained.