Agenda Setting in Media

Agenda Setting

• Agenda setting is a media's ability to raise the importance of an issue in the public's mind through repeated news coverage.
• Mainstream media attention to an issue elevates its importance to the public.
• The public perceives issues based on the media's emphasis.
• A relationship exists between the media's agenda and the public's agenda.
• The correlation between the two agendas can be strong, indicating a high influence of the media on public perception.

Chapel Hill Study

• McCombs and Shaw conducted the first systematic study on agenda-setting.
• Their 1972 study examined how mass media influenced attitudes during a U.S. presidential election campaign.
• The study focused on "undecided" voters and analyzed the issues emphasized by the media.
• The study found a strong correlation between the media's agenda and the public's perception of important issues.
• The study's weakness was its inability to determine which agenda influenced the other.

Media Agenda and Reality

• The study focused on the 1970s, when several prominent issues emerged.
• G. Ray Funkhouser examined the relationship between news coverage, public perception, and real-world issues.
• Data was collected from local newspapers over three weeks.
• Real-world data came from U.S. statistical abstracts.
• Funkhouser's study showed a strong correlation between public ranking of an issue and the amount of media coverage it received.
• However, media coverage did not always accurately reflect the reality of these issues.

Who Sets the Agenda for the Media

• Agenda setting is influenced by several factors.

1. Intermedia Agenda Setting

• When elite media (e.g., New York Times) set the agenda, other media outlets often cover the same issues.

2. Individual Media Workers

• Media workers (e.g., reporters, editors) can influence the agenda based on their biases, backgrounds, and beliefs.

3. Media Routines

• Deadlines, space constraints, and reliance on official sources can shape the media agenda.
• Social media algorithms can influence what content is prioritized.
• Videos formatted for social media (e.g., 30-second reels) often get attention and are frequently shared.

4. Organizational Influences

• Media organizations strive for specific goals, including profit. This might lead to covering certain topics (e.g., news about advertisements) and neglecting others (e.g., corruption).

5. Influences from Outside Organizations

• Pressure groups, interest groups (e.g., anti-harassment groups in Egypt), and governments exert influence on media.
• Government pressure on platforms to censor content (e.g., TikTok removing reels supporting Hamas).

6. Society Ideology

• Societal values (e.g., beliefs in capitalism and democracy) influence the media's agenda, and vice-versa.
• Topics socially considered taboo may be avoided, depending on the country or society's values (e.g., nudity, mercy killing).

TikTok Algorithm

• The TikTok algorithm prioritizes content based on initial views, likes, comments, and shares, influencing popularity.
• The algorithm filters based on viewer interests and preferences, showing content tailored to each individual user.

Textbook Examples

• War on Drugs: Media coverage exaggerated the drug problem, creating a higher priority for public officials despite statistics showing a decline in the problem.
• Crime Wave: Media coverage, causing exaggerated fear, increased the perceived crime rate.
• These examples show how media can affect the public's understanding and response to events.