Identifying the mental patterns of media managers regarding dissemination of information during crises by using the Q method

Media managers, in critical situations, have different mental patterns, which are the basis of their attitude for making decisions on how to inform people. This study, using the Q method, seeks to answer the question, what kind of mental patterns do media managers have for providing information in crises time? Data analysis was done by collecting the discourse space in the Q method and implementing three phases of research namely domain review, systematic review and individual sources (interview), resulted in 85 propositions according to the opinion of the nominal group, as a sample of Q, 60 people of media managers, as a sample of available participants, performed the sorting of the Q sample in the Flash-Q software and in the form of a diagram with a Likert scale of -8 to +8, and by entering the data in the SPSS software and creating a Q data matrix and Q data set. Finally, the following three mental models were identified: 1. The mental model of skill-oriented managers supporting the effect of social media in crisis; 2. The mental model of public relations -oriented managers who support information engineering in crisis; 3. The mental model of knowledge-oriented managers who are critical of superficiality in crisis communication. Strengthening stronger mental patterns or correcting inefficient mental patterns in media organizations requires reforming management systems, designing a comprehensive crisis management system, and using expert consultants in media management.