HISTORY OF AGENDA SETTING

First introduced in 1972 in public opinion quarterly by Drs. Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw.

CONT.

Theory was developed as a study on the 1968 presidential election

Lyndon B. JHONSON was ousted by republican challenger Richard Nixon

Chapel Hill Study

CONT. Surveyed 100

residents media uses a

number of cues to indicate the importance of an issue.

On the front page of a newspaper, for example, the importance of a story is indicated by the size of its heading. 

HISTORY OF AGENDA SETTING

Originated in Walter Lippmann's classics, public opinion (1922)

establishes the principal connection between worlds events and the image in the public mind.

BERNARD COHEN In 1963,

Bernard Cohen noted that

Media may not be successful much of time in telling people what to think but it is successful in telling what to think about.

CONT. In 1998, McCombs increased the scope

of this theory to include a phenomenon called ‘framing’.

He argued that in addition to telling us what to think about, the media can also tell us how to think about a story.

News reports might focus on one particular aspect of an issues or report about something in a particular way. 

AGENDA SETTING Political scientist Bernard Cohen

observed

“The press may not be successful much of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling them what to think about.”

AGENDA SETTING In his book, Public Opinion (1922),

Lipmann argued that “mass media, primarily newspapers and magazines… create our picture of the world” (McCombs & Bell, 94).

AGENDA SETTING In choosing and displaying news editors,

newsroom staff, and broadcasters plays and important role in shaping political reality.

Reader learns about a issue. How much importance attach to that

issue. Saying of candidates during campaign Mass media well determine the

important issue (McCombs, 2011)

AGENDA SETTING Media set the agenda It shows that media is powerful in

popularizing different stories, events But also recognize that public is free to

chose how they think about things

AGENDA SETTING

Issues prominent in the media were: Foreign policy Law and Order fiscal Policy Public Welfare Civil Rights

BASIC ASSUMPTION OF AST Two most basic assumption1. The press and media do not reflect

reality they filter and shape it.2. Media concentration on a few issues

and subject leads the public to perceive those issue as important than any other issue

ACCESSIBILITY

Cognitive process More frequently and prominently the

news covers an issue the more that issue become accessible in the audience's memory.

WHO SETS THE AGENDA FOR MEDIA?

Media “gatekeepers”(series of check points the news has go through before it gets to the public)

The scientist and health professionals Public affairs professionals Interest group Compelling news events

FRAMING

The basis of framing theory is that the media focuses attention on certain events and then places them within a field of meaning.

Media influence the way we think Media do this through framing Selection, emphasis, exclusion,

elaboration

FRAMING News frames make the world look

natural. They determine what is selected, what is excluded, what is emphasized.

FRAMING Framing determines the salience of

different elements in a story Framing = Interpretation of stories Framing refers to the way media

organize and present information and the way audience interpret that information.

“mass media have a strong impact by constructing social reality”

ILLUSTRATION The frame Media intensify their focus on crime, Framing crime as Something can happen to anyone Something most fearsome when local The effect Public concern about crime increases,

even though actual crime fall

THREE TYPES OF AGENDA SETTING

Public agenda Policy agenda Media agenda

PUBLIC AGENDA SETTING Focuses on the audience agenda issues discussed and personally relevant

to members of the public individuals vary on their need for

orientation. Need for orientation is a combination of

the individual’s interest in the topic and uncertainty about the issue.

NEED FOR ORIENTATION: Need for Orientation and Agenda Setting

Effects

0 5 10

HighlyRelevant

IrrelevantTopic

Agenda Setting Effects Attention to News Need for Orientation

PUBLIC AGENDA SETTING The higher levels of interest and

uncertainty produce higher levels of need for orientation.

Obtrusive issues Unobtrusive issues An issue is obtrusive if most members of

the public have had direct contact with it.

Obtrusive of issue based on the audience personal experience with topic.

CONT. Example: high gas price, increased cost

of food and unobtrusive if audience members

have not had direct experience. More distant to the public Example: political scandal or genocide

in Darfur.

POLICY AGENDA issues that policy makers consider

important (legislators) In policy agenda gatekeepers set the

agenda for audience Control over the selection of content

discussed in the media; what the public know and care about at any given time is mostly a product of media gate keeping.

MEDIA AGENDA

Focuses on the influence of the mass media on the audience

issues discussed in the media (newspapers, television, radio)

Many issues exist on mass media like pollution, terrorism and high cost of living. These issues make up the media agenda.

MEDIA AGENDA Focused on detecting the process of

news production which is a compound of how media selects news stories from many issues in the real life

How news stories are produced and how the media content is presented

Public relations specialists may try to set media agenda through the interests and objectives of the company they work for.

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND AGENDA SETTING THEORY Public relations serves a wide variety of

institutions in society. businesses, agencies, hospitals, schools,

colleges, and religious institutions. Institutions must develop effective

relationships with many different audiences or publics such as employees, members, customers, local communities, and with society at large

CONT. the public relations professionals must

have in sharp focus the “laws” that govern public opinion.

Public relations activities for issues that are related to social interests like education, influence the media agenda.