Agenda Setting in Mass Media

The agenda setting theory generally depicts the ability of mass media in having a high end influence to the public based on certain important news which appears as headlines. In other words, this is the ability to attract a great percentage of the viewership and readership of a certain topic through mass media. According to Alitavoli & Kaveh, (2018, p.1), “The effects of television and its news programs on shaping people’s beliefs, ideas and values has long been the subject of study ever since this medium was invented,” and this creates a scenario whereby, the most important piece will appear in the top headlines and will be repeated most of the time as compared to any other piece of information. This paper aims to prove that agenda setting exists in most mass media present today and that it skews the public of most of this information hence swaying public opinion on particular issues. This paper also encompasses another fabricated alternative set up in which it is openly showcased some aspects of mass media lack much implication regarding agenda setting while aiming to skew the public.

Mass media provides a basis upon which the nation’s main agenda is put into consideration. The broadcasting of the daily news concerning the nation through mass media is geared in as a main agenda for the nation. One of the factors that determine the mode of agenda setting through mass media is the form of accessibility that is created through it. This is elaborated as the level unto which a certain piece of information is put into the memories of the audience through the repetition and emphasis which established therein. If someone approaches you and asks on the developing stories in the news headlines, the most common answer one is likely to give will be majorly based on news that consistently run in their memories, displaying itself in a loop-like manner, based on the form of emphasis and repetition put in the news. Mass media coverage have a general setting of the manner in which an individual thinks and what is driven into the individual's mind as compared to what the other individuals are thinking in general.

The various platforms of mass media that are utilized in this manner include television broadcasting, radio broadcasting, magazines, and other articles that bear a high percentage of the nation’s source of daily news. According to Corbu & Hosu (2017, p.6), in reality, readers and viewers attach importance to the news released through the various platforms of mass media, and they concentrate on the general importance attached to this news that are posted through various platforms. As it’s fabricated through newspapers, for instance, a general topic of the day is usually set once the headlines attain the attention of the public, be it factual or not. The perception set by the reader of the newspaper is, regardless of whether the information generated is true or not, this information is the main agenda of the day. The display of headlines through the newspaper is of a general sense that, the public’s attention will certainly be drawn and this will be a point driven home, an element will have been fused to the reader’s mind; something to keeping looping in their memories over a longer time frame.

Television sets appear as the largest of all platforms which have a large viewership globally. These platforms have a general common factor which includes setting the main agenda of the day as the top headlines. This factor is mostly visualized by the manner in which the news broadcasters spare a longer time to the most important and catchy information to the public. According to Feezell (2017, p.3), “The amount of time given to a certain topic will depict that this information is the main point to focus on.” For instance, the death of a very prominent person will always appear in the top headlines of every platform of mass media including television broadcasts. The manner in which repetition is executed and achieved to each topic through the television set will show that truly this topic bears great importance and forms the agenda setting. Generally, what we mostly get to understand concerning the outside world is majorly based on what the media will inform us. If the information provokes much of the public’s attention, then this will be eventually set as the main agenda setting and the public will visualize it as being more important compared to other news set pieces.

Agenda setting exists in much of the media platforms today. According to Hunter, Wassenhove, Besiou, & Halderen, (2011, p.6), “The public embraces agenda-setting to a very great extent in stakeholder media houses”. Most of the individuals playing the role of news broadcasting in radio and television media platforms such as television programs, radio broadcasts among other platforms, are highly qualified personnel with relevant experience in their associated job executions. These people have undergone training and can analyse a certain informative piece before relaying to the public. Through years of working in the media industry, such persons have gained trust in the eyes of the public. This trust defines the extent to which the public trust the stories they broadcast once they broadcast breaking news. The public will, by all means, hold the broadcasted information as true to them, and this will form the basis of public opinion. The fact that these news reporters and broadcasters are highly qualified personnel will reveal the information as setting the agenda in the public eyes. The information may be true or false, but the majority of the public assume truth since media broadcasters are experienced in their line of duty.

Extensive research shows that, as time passes by, agenda setting is purely drawn in the media as hours, weeks, months and years elapse. Through these long periods time frames, all sorts of news are drawn, but at the end of the day, there is are the certain informative piece that is always emphasised while other pieces will receive light coverage, others set pieces of reportages still appear but are never made known to the public at all through emphasis. Social scientists have fabricated a statistical correlation measure for the extent unto which public opinions determine the level unto which news coverage determine their perspective and eventually the main goal setting of the nation’s mass media agenda setting is achieved.

Agenda setting is not limited to the public viewership of a certain piece of information as being more important as compared to another. Agenda setting is also determined by the process of communication, and the idea behind the perception of different topics read during news bulletins. For instance, the cases of a politician running for an electoral post, like a presidential post will be determined based on the current stand of a country. According to Boydstun, Vliegenthart, & Baker, (2017, p.1), “The president’s ability to influence media attention is crucial to theoretical understandings of institutional agenda setting.” The top headlines will be the general elections, but in detailed form, the specific agendas of a certain candidate will be put into consideration based on the amount of influence the candidate has in the electoral process and the agenda that the specific candidate has established during his campaigns. According to Zhou, Kim, Luo, & Qiao (2016, P.1), “The media will majorly focus on the specific candidate’s agendas, even though other candidates are running for the same position” and that “agenda setting is one of the most recognized communication theories.” This form of agenda setting is put in the abstract form, to distinguish it from other forms of agenda setting. The media is seen as having a more specific concentration to certain pieces of information. The media is also seen in this sense as having an agenda setting scenario since they will choose the form of information to release to the public, and the public will eventually be drawn based on the information, given by the media house. Media houses essentially control the extent and depth of public opinion over daily issues that affect the public. According to Valenzuela, Puente, & Flores, (2017, p.1), “Intermedia agenda setting predicts a high degree of convergence between news media agendas.”

The agenda setting theory exists in mass media in issues about policy setting, policy establishment, and making. Media houses are a major contributor and determinant of policy set ups based on the major topics of discussions that are set through these interviewing houses, kingpins in the delivery of information to the public. Research has established that the media houses are always in the forefront line while bringing an influence to the public. This influence means that, whatever the media houses will determine, is what will take effect in the eyes of the public. The public as a result, through public opinions generated, will have a say in the policy set up and establishment. The result is a very established point of proof that, the public opinion that is generated by the public has a direct linked result to the policy set up which will occur as a result. Social scientists have established a statistical analysis of the determination of the cause of policy making in most of the countries. Their results have been able to establish that the majority of public opinion is generated through the news that is attained from the mass media houses in existence today. This news form a severe and unshakable stand in the eyes of the public. Once this stand is formed, the various levels of audience and viewership can draw judgement which is meant to show the public opinions created. The public opinions determine the policy making procedures for any country.

Agenda setting is also seen to occur in media houses as it affects the behavioural set ups among individuals and societies. According to Alitavoli (2018), ”The media stands on one side of the social construction and cultivation of crime news stories,” for example, topics come up which are mostly concerned with issues dealing with murder, rape cases, and man slaughter. Such scenes are quite horrific and do not appeal in the eyes of the public. Practically, if murder cases were seen to occur from a certain school, for instance, there will be an immense decline in the number of new students who join the school that semester. The cases of murder are not always embraced, and they will affect the mental and psychological behaviour among students in the school. These cases will always be seen to occur even in the larger society as a whole. Cases of man slaughter are so saddening to the point that no person ever wants to walk alone at night as they fear the horror of encountering such incidences in person. As a result of the media setting up such a horrific agenda, the general behaviour of the society will change, and as a result, measures will be put in place to counter the specific deplorable conditions in the society. Leaders will emerge and in turn, hold meetings that are mainly geared towards taking action against the individuals interlinked with these horrific cases that have aroused such an uproar causing massive disturbance amidst the citizens of the nation.

Agenda setting in mass media is also seen to exist based on the major effect on the level of technology that exists in a certain country (Uscinski, 2009). For instance, global news outlines from more developed countries majorly discuss the development of high class technology since they are wealthy and they also can advance in technology. According to Guo & Vargo (2017, p.488), “wealthier countries not only continue to attract most of the globe’s news attention, but they are also more likely to decide how other countries perceive the world.” The wealthy countries have such high end technology which is a great determinant of the world’s super powers. A real example is through the development of nuclear weapons and atomic bombs. Such news trend through media houses and they reach the whole world inclusive of the less developed countries. The result is the countries that bear the heavy weapons in the case that war ensues will tend to be more fearful and will not have any inferior country joking around with them. Such news is seen as the main agenda setting when it comes to a country’s version of emerging technology. The other countries will thus be prompted to make efforts in ensuring that they develop their technology to ensure that they are not left behind. As technology changes, mass media follows close by, in the fore front of ensuring that they inform the public of the current developments. Such news will have a major Impact on the perception of the public.

An Alternative View on the Agenda Setting Theory

This section of the paper looks into the lack of the agenda setting theory in existing media houses today. As much as we have discussed the extent to which agenda setting is prevalent to most media houses, a couple of standalone media houses lack the utility of agenda setting in today’s society where public opinion matter most. This lack means that whatever the media covers do not have a major impact in the eyes of the public and mostly public opinions are not majorly based on the news generated from the mass media. The media houses in this perspective are made to come up with all sort of news be it political, economic or social news, but at the end, this news will not be the major basis of forming public opinions and setting the agenda of the day. The public is majorly equipped with all sort of development forums, not all obtained from the mass media. In this perspective, whatever the mass media will try and bring to the public, will not be of a great effect since already the public has other sources of obtaining these informative pieces of trending news. When put into a statistical perspective, it will be realized that the media houses have got no big effect when it comes to drawing the attention of the public to the tune of their set piece agenda. In this instance, it is as hard as a peanut while aiming to sway the public’s opinion to a prefabricated belief.

Agenda setting is not seen in much of the mass media today. The more salient features in the mass media, which include the important or in other words the significant features, have to be deeply processed and also bear the descriptions that will gain acceptability in the eyes of the public. Lee & Xu (2018), state that not all information is for sure true and sensible. The public has reached a point whereby they will not be in a position of fully depending on the media for all sort of factual information. This step will mean that the public has got to understand that full dependence on the mass media will at times generate mythical information which if put into action may bring a lot of controversies to the country. Research has shown that the majority of the members of the public will have to fully scrutinize a certain set piece of information that comes through the media before they can even process it and this will not form the basis for agenda setting.

Even though the public may base their agenda at times based on the information got from the media, this may not apply to most political set ups. When actors such as independent political perspectives are put into consideration, the mass media may not be used as an agenda setting platform. Some of the political candidates will always avoid taking the media reports by their word. This failure to take will be caused by the media which bears marks of political bias, and it may not express the true sense in itself as it does the reporting. This will not be essential to an independent minded political analyst or even a candidate, who will have to base his or her perception on other factors other than the primary information that is reported by media.

According to Uscinski (2009, p.5), “Mass media does not have a high significant influence on a person’s view of complex situations in the world.” Mass media provides information which to a large extent, has to be refined for it to appeal to the public. If a certain set piece of information is not well versed and it provides no solid information about a certain situation, the people often opt for alternative means of sourcing such information. The result is, the mass media will not be in a position of setting the main agenda, not unless the processed information is generated to the public for them to gain a high level of trust and confidentiality.

In conclusion, we realize that public influence is not always derived always from mass media. This lack of influence is evidenced by the fact that, it is so hard to believe that all sort of information is true and is acceptable in the eyes of the public. For instance, journalists will relay information that will most likely not be sourced from experienced sources nor relevant sources. The lead researcher may not have the best results for certain information. This may be so dangerous especially for information that deals with health issues and status reports. Information that deals with cancerous cells and spreading of dangerous diseases such as swine flu, Ebola and other contaminations, need close to very important pieces of information which have to be generated by the lead researcher in a manner that proves authenticity. Such information requires the journalist and news reporters to be well versed with the information so that they will not bring in confusion to the public.

 

References

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Boydstun, A., Vliegenthart, R., & Baker, M. (2017). The conditional nature of presidential agenda influence on TV news: The case of education. International Journal of Communication,22. doi:10.1080/07343469.2013.824047

Corbu, N., & Hosu, O. (2017). The Key Words Agenda: New Avenues for Agenda Setting Research. Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations,19(3), 7. doi:10.21018/rjcpr.2017.3.241

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Guo, L., & Vargo, C. J. (2017). Global Intermedia Agenda Setting: A Big Data Analysis of International News Flow. Journal of Communication,67(4), 499-520. doi:10.1111/jcom.12311

Hunter, M. L., Wassenhove, L. N., Besiou, M., & Halderen, M. V. (2011). The Agenda-Setting Power of Stakeholder Media. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1832522

Lee, J., & Xu, W. (2018). The more attacks, the more retweets: Trump’s and Clinton’s agenda setting on Twitter. Public Relations Review,44(2), 201-213. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2017.10.002

Uscinski, J. E. (2009). When Does the Publics Issue Agenda Affect the Medias Issue Agenda (and Vice-Versa)? Developing a Framework for Media-Public Influence. Social Science Quarterly,90(4), 796-815. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2009.00663.x

Valenzuela, S., Puente, S., & Flores, P. M. (2017). Comparing Disaster News on Twitter and Television: An Intermedia Agenda Setting Perspective. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media,61(4), 615-637. doi:10.1080/08838151.2017.1344673

Zhou, S., Kim, Y., Luo, Y., & Qiao, F. (2016). Is the agenda set? State of agenda-setting research in China and Korea. Asian Journal of Communication,26(6), 566-582. doi:10.1080/01292986.2016.1231209