Transcript Agenda - Personal.kent.edu

Chapter 28
Agenda-Setting Theory
Griffin, E. (2006). A first look at
communication theory (6th ed.).
Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Agenda-Setting Theory
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McCombs & Shaw, 1972
Summary
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The media tells us what to think about
Recently, agenda-setting claims the media also
tell us what to think, and what to do about it
www.tenbyten.org/now.html
First Level Agenda-Setting
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Original version of the theory
Media tells us what to think about
Media agenda  public agenda
Initial study on 1968 presidential election
(Chapel Hill, NC)
Contrasts with prevailing selective
exposure hypothesis
First Level, cont’d
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Who sets the agenda for the agenda
setters?
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News editors as “gatekeepers”
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http://www.freepress.net/content/ownership
Political candidates
Public relations professionals
Interest groups
News events themselves
Second Level Agenda-Setting
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Revised version of the theory
Media tell us how and what to think about it
Framing– “to frame is to select some
aspects of a perceived reality and make
them more salient in a communication text”
(p. 402)
Second Level, cont’d
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Media may also tell us what to do about It
Currently being researched
Sometimes they tell us what to do or
suggest what to do
Who is Most Affected by Media’s
Agenda?
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Need for orientation
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Relevance
Uncertainty
Effects of Newer Media
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May lessen the agenda-setting effects of
the media
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More content choice
More control over content
Critique
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More realistic, limited effects model than
the hypodermic needle model
Gives more power to the media than
selective exposure hypothesis
Findings are not always consistent
Controversy over framing