Lecture 9 - Agenda Setting

How do the media construct reality?

"Agenda Setting is the process of the mass media presenting certain issues frequently and prominently with the result that large segments of the public come to perceive those issues as more important than others." (Coleman, McCombs, Shaw, Weaver)

 The media filters and shapes reality and thus constructs public opinion. This is done through what we call Agenda Setting. There are 2 types of theories:

1st level: WHAT should the public focus on?
2nd level: HOW should people think about an issue?

Agenda setting is basically a transfer of issue salience: through frequent/prominent coverage of certain issues, they are given more salience and vice versa with less coverage. It is important to realise that agenda setting is not (just) some evil masterplan to manipulate the public but merely an "inadvertent by-product of the necessity to focus news"(McCombs).

There are different types of agenda setting:

1) Media Gatekeeping
2) Media Advocacy
3) Media Cutting
4) Media Surfing
5) Diffusion of News
6) Portrayal of an Issue
7) Media Dependency

To give a practical example of agenda setting, we looked at how the subject of "greenhouse effect/global warming/climate change" has been covered by the media over the past few years.