Developing a Strategic Model of Public Relations Promotion with an Emphasis on Media Literacy System

Media literacy is a topic that is concerned with the audience's power of understanding of the way in which media works and how they make sense thereof, and seeks to make this analysis a habit and a task for the audience. In this regard, present research provides a model for promotion of public relations with an emphasis on media literacy among managers and employees of Mazandaran Gas Company. In this paper, the data were sorted out through three stages after introduction of the concept media literacy using the qualitative method of grounded theory and holding 15 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the academics and experts of the field, and following a content analysis. Based on the findings, the model is made up of five components: 1. The elements promoting media literacy at three macro (i.e. formulation of educational rubrics, changing educational methods, culture building with media literacy potential, adopting a problem-oriented approach, creating a national Internet, coherence and consistency in policy making and planning, and media content monitoring), intermediate (i.e. group interaction with colleagues and management training), and micro (i.e. technological knowledge, cognitive knowledge, media knowledge, and content production); 2. Decisive factors (categories of macro, intermediate, and macro level factors); 3. Interfering factors (including government intervention, lack of legislation or regulations); 4. Strategies (including policy and planning strategies, educational strategies, and culture- and discourse building strategies; 5. Consequences (i.e. economic, social, cultural, political, technological, communication, environmental, and individual-behavioral consequences).