One of the core aspects of its application lies in something called ‘gatekeeping.’ Here, the stakeholders of mass media tweak the information in ways they please, to have the authorities of the State on board with them. The most common applications of the agenda-setting theory are found in the political ads, media campaigns on ideological issues, election campaigns, macro-level business shifts, and public relations. If the citizens of the society are touchy on subjects like Nationality and patriotism, the media shall align their broadcasts in a way that arouses those sentiments in the minds of the majority. If the media is devoted to reporting political issues, the people sensitive to that information shall be catered to. The media scrutinizes the beliefs of the larger population in society and makes their reports fall in line with their ideological disposition. The Public agenda-setting, as to what the general will consider being necessary, is determined by the conflux of Media and Policy plan, where the media shapes the mainstream opinion with various factors. The crux of the theory lies at exploring the media agenda-setting aspect of it. There are three types of agenda setting behaviors Public, Media, and Policy Agenda-setting.

Factors Governing the Agenda-Setting Theory The media portrays issues concerning them so that even if they do not affect a larger population, the intensity with which it is reported makes it a matter of concern to the general will. There are multiple psychological as well as scientific and statistical factors aiding this theory of agenda-setting. Their verdict on the issue at hand in the future shall fall in line with how the media reported it under the critical tag. It is perceived that reporting some ‘important’ issues shall lead the people to believe in its relevance.Īn impression of the significance of the issue shall be imprinted in the minds of the people and shall go a long way to serve as public opinion in the future when they are asked to recall the same. Secondly, this hold of the mass media on the information considered significant, according to them, is sent out to the people to create a mass opinion. This way, the information is tweaked to fall in line with the popular opinion of the top-layered stakeholders of the society. One, the media takes charge of pronouncing which activities are significant and shaping the reports according to them, rather than just narrating the happenings of the event. There are two fundamental assumptions on which the theory of agenda setting stands aloft. It taps on a cognitive aspect called ‘accessibility,’ which refers to the ability of a human mind to retain a particular piece of information delivered. This theory of Agenda Setting unfolds into society through various psychological tools that the mass media weaponizes itself with. Thus, agenda-setting nullifies the prospects of intelligent reporting and news fall prey to the media’s discretion. People believe it is crucial and align themselves with the State ideology. Whenever there is a need by the influential bodies of a State to get the people on board with them on the ideological ground, it becomes news.

The mass media’s discretion on the importance of a piece of news is determined by a host of other factors, one of them being a popular opinion. It is the way through which one can bring cognitive change by affecting the thinking of the people. Put in place by McCombs and Shaw in 1972, they defined this theory as the impact done to the mass media.

Agenda definition