agenda-setting theory

Chapter 28 discusses the agenda-setting theory of McCombs and Shaw. These researchers have developed a model of media effects that is structured as Media Agenda —› Voters' Agenda. Griffin provides support for McCombs and Shaw's argument, noting that newspapers such as the Washington Post and the New York Times get over 50% of what they print from press releases and press conferences. Tankard defines framing in agenda-setting theory as how the media supply news contexts through selection, emphasis, exclusion, and elaboration.

In agenda-setting theory, interest aggregations refer to clusters of people who demand attention for their single concern. Research in agenda-setting theory has found a media malady effect, which refers to links between negative economic headlines and negative consumer sentiment. If you've been following the current economic crisis (who hasn't?), you've likely observed this media malady effect. Consumers are definitely expressing negative views of the economy--and spending less--in light of the downturns in the stock market and housing market along with increases in the price of everyday goods and services.

In the section on ethics, Griffin notes that Clifford Christians views mutuality as forming the essence of humanness. Christians' communitarian ethics views a reporter's primary goal as facilitating a morally literate and active citizenship. In critiquing agenda-setting theory, Griffin states that recent developments in agenda-setting theory have been criticized because framing may be irrelevant to agenda-setting research.

In the interview with Em Griffin, Max McCombs states that elements emphasized in the media become regarded as important by the public provides the core idea of agenda-setting theory. McCombs also stated that the starting point of agenda-setting theory was the observation that the media focus people's attention. McCombs argued that about 2-3 issues are most frequently included in the public's agenda. He also argued that most journalists are message producers.

~ Professor Cyborg