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Glossary / Lexicon

What is Agenda Setting?

10/17/2023 | by Patrick Fischer, M.Sc., Founder & Data Scientist: FDS

Agenda setting is a theory and concept in communication and media studies that suggests that media and news organisations not only report on what is happening in the world, but also have a strong influence on what issues and topics are considered important by the public. This theory was first developed in the 1960s by communication scholars Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw.

Here are some of the most important aspects of agenda setting:

Media selection:

Agenda setting refers to the process by which the media select from a variety of events and issues and decide which news stories they will report. This selection can be conscious or unconscious.

Topic hierarchy: Agenda Setting argues that media set the issue hierarchy by prioritising certain issues and stories and neglecting others. In doing so, they influence which issues receive the public's attention.

Priming effect: Agenda setting is closely related to the priming effect, in which the media influence audiences' perceptions and evaluations of certain issues or topics by reporting on them frequently.

Political agenda: In politics, media coverage can have a significant impact on the political agenda by leading politicians and policy makers to prioritise certain topics or issues.

Public opinion: Agenda setting also influences public opinion, as people tend to consider topics and issues as important that are frequently covered in the media.

It is important to emphasise that agenda setting does not mean that the media directly influence people's opinions, but that they focus attention on the topics and issues they report on, thus influencing the public agenda. People still have the freedom to form their own opinions based on the information they receive.

Agenda setting is an important concept in media research because it shows that the media not only serves as a source of information, but can also strongly influence public debate and the political process. It also has implications for the way media coverage is framed and how news organisations fulfil their responsibilities to the public.

Agenda Setting is an important concept in media research because it shows that the media not only serve as a source of information but can also strongly influence public debate and the political process.

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