In the world that people are living in today, a large number of individuals rely on upon newsmakers for data. While picking and choosing the stories to air, the news anchors, editors and newsroom staff have a significant influence in forming the genuine political life. The gathering of people gets educated around a given issue as well as knowing the amount of value the measure of data is, in a news story. According to Kovačić (1997), in his book, he states that the mass media determines the relevant problems and those that should gain the public attention as they are the ones who set the “agenda.” Since the hypothesis was planned, a significant number of people trust that the media is one-sided as it infringes on each side of the general public through the radio, TV, web and print media. The media are an expert in telling its audience on what to think about. Most students who take the mass communication course are well aware of the agenda setting theory. This research paper has a purpose of critically identifying an existing theory of communication in depth.
This theory of mass communication demonstrates how broad communications influences the way individuals view reality. The hypothesis lays on two essential presumptions. The main one expresses that the media channels shape the reality rather than simply reflecting it. For example, the editor of the News presents news to people according to how he thinks the story will be appealing to the audience. Instead of the producer or editor telling people that a hundred people were involved in an accident, the writer would report that several people suffered from the accident. The second assumption expresses that the more consideration the media provides for specific issues, the more likely the people in general will mark these matters as indispensable ones.
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Statement of the Problem
The problem that this research will attempt to address is based on communication theory. The study will address the agenda setting theory basing on the way that it has been settled through past examination. The study will likewise inspect how the hypothesis can impact individuals and somehow interfere with, exasperate or change the stream of data. Furthermore, the argument deserves little attention in communication research. In the event that the media can influence the general public, then it must be inspected due to the suggestions this could hold. In the 18th century, the newspaper was the only channel of communication and people could only read what was written and interpret it. Today, there is 24-hour cable information or news channels like the MSNBC, CNN and Fox News among others. It is also from these channels that the news anchors have been made celebrities by the people of the public. There are so many blogs offering commentary news as well as radio stations. The new media field has generated division in the review group of onlookers that frequently falls along partisan loyalties.
Literature Review
The agenda setting theory was first advanced by Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw in the late nineteenth century in public opinion. During the 1968 presidential election, there had been an influence that had defined the theory. Shaw and Macomb’s concentrated on how agenda setting is utilized to construct agreement among people in a group. They focused on the Chapel Hill study and discovered that the media is a source for political information and that the news agenda influenced issues on the public agenda. This is because; the residents of Chapel Hill were undecided on whom to vote for. The media, therefore, had a significant impact on who won the elections in relation to the issues that the media were making (McCombs, 2004.)
Since McComb’s and Shaw conducted their research, different analysts have kept on investigating the ideas and phrasings connected with the hypothesis. It has been discovered that agenda setting theory has factors that determine the kind of news that will top in the media and public agenda. Agenda setting hypothesis has along these lines given an unparalleled establishment to both quantitative and subjective investigations of media that are applicable to various media fields among them is the television and the emerging technologies(McCombs, 2004).
The news that makes headlines is determined by a few factors that are associated with agenda setting theory. This is because the media is capable of influencing the public on what to think about. The agenda setting theory thus is involved in both focusing and examining the relative salience of issues or objects. One approach that figures out what news will advance onto the media plan is the idea of agenda building. Another methodology that decides the top news involves the selection of topics or priming.
Priming
Priming is a change in the values and standards that people use to judge the media and make evaluations. This happens when the news content varies from one issue to another. Priming helps the group of onlookers to assess the circumstances and to see how successful the media have been, keeping in mind the end goal to settle on a choice. The media makes an issue to be a prime when they keep on airing one issue from time to time. This happens especially in cases of a political campaign where individuals are not aware of political matters. They thus base their solutions on the information that the media provides and hence they are influenced by the choice that they make (Holiday, 2012).
While agenda setting draws out the significance of the issue, priming gives a full clarification on the most proficient method to keep data that has been provided in mind and how this information affects the choices that people make. The mind has a way of remembering most of the news that keeps on flashing from time to time or the news that appear on front pages of magazines and newspapers. Researchers applied the priming concept to portray how the television affects the behaviours of individuals and how it influences them in making choices.
Agenda Building
Agenda building concentrates on how the press associates with different foundations in the general public to make and present issues of public concern. The methodology is likewise affected with how issues start or how subjects of news scope get to be issues. Agenda building explores the question of how the media dictates the issues the people should think about. The current technology has impacted the agenda building as new media alters the traditional course of agenda building. According to Eissler, Russell, & Jones (2014), the growing technology and the likes of blog posts and other platforms have grown to be recognized news sources. These principles have been accepted readily by the public who rely on them to give people news at hand. New media has gained acceptance into the society especially by the younger generation.
Framing
Certain scholars refer to framing as a theory while others see it as a concept within agenda setting. Framing effects how the public think about a topic by altering its description. Framing relies upon how an issue is presented to the audience and how the choices made by this people have impacts in reports that are written. Framing is composed of two concepts. The first is episodic framing that includes narrating from the viewpoint of people and their occasions. The other one is topical surrounding that includes a societal viewpoint utilizing dynamic ideas rather than contextual investigations (Kovačić, 1997).
Framing theory suggests how something is presented to the audience and how information is processed regarding the people’s choice. Framing structures a meaning in a message as people interprets their surrounding through the primary framework as it focuses on issues at hand. Framing influences the mind-set of an individual and thus impacts their decision making on a topic that has been altered by the media.
The communication field is most likely to suffer due to lack of a strong comprehension of agenda building, priming and framing. This is because different scholars have given meanings that differ to each concept. In an effort to clarify definitions and move research on agenda setting forward, researchers audit how the ideas identify with and vary from each other concerning news generation and processing. In regard to news processing, the public is more to be effected by framing as they pay more attention to the message, whereas message exposure may be enough to achieve agenda-setting effects. The distinction on whether individuals consider an issue and how they consider it alludes to agenda setting and framing respectively.
Qualities and Powers of Agenda Setting Theory
The agenda setting hypothesis predicts that if individuals utilize the same media for data, they will put much emphasis on the same issue. In his study Kovačić (1997), stated in his book that agenda setting is an excellent theory. It therefore has a number of good reasons as discussed in this section. The hypothesis has an illustrative force as it clears up why people sort out certain issues. It is like manner predicts the requirements of the media social occasion of individuals as demonstrated by the news media content. The hypothesis is straightforward furthermore gives new areas to further research. Agenda setting theory has hypothetical presumptions that are adjusted and unbiased. The hypothesis has an association power as it arranges existing learning of media impacts in the general public.
Components of Agenda setting theory
Dearing and Rogers subdivided agenda setting theory into three components. One of the components which come first is the media agenda setting that is reliant on the broad communications news plan. The second one is the public agenda setting which is reliant on subjects on the general population plan. The third one is the policy agenda setting that happens to be a response to the collective agendas of the media and public. The Media agenda setting affects not only the public opinion but also the public policy and the media at large (Eissler, Russell & Jones, 2014). The news organizations have formed a tendency to report on stories that are broadcasted by national media outlets. The vast associations set the centre of open discussion, and once an issue catches the consideration of a couple of citizens, then the issue is well on the way to rouse new laws and directions. Therefore, the agenda setting hypothesis remains to be of great importance to the mass communication studies in the whole world at large.
A study to support McComb and show the statement that media agenda setting can affect policy, showed that the media impact is specific to some limited issues and that the broad communications can just influence people in general and not the Congress. Every kind of plan setting relies on upon the general population notability of issues.
The Salience in the Agenda Setting Theory
Remarkable quality was at the heart of McCombs and Shaw on their examination on Agenda setting hypothesis. It is how much an issue on the motivation is seen as moderately imperative. More often than not, there are instances of rape cases, divorce, human rights, drug trafficking among others that are being faced off and entertained in the broad communications and the population at large. It is now in this manner that the broad communications persuade the audience that specific issues are critical than others due to the percentage of media coverage that each case will receive.
The idea of Salience is important in another setting of media effect whereby individuals have been known to have an excellent high esteem when they discover that others have accepted their opinions. On the other hand, people whose opinions have been rejected tend to adopt a more reserved attitude with a low self-esteem when expressing their opinions in public. The salience of many issues has risen over time due to the internet whereby unlike the olden days where news channels were limited, a hundred news outlets have emerged that sets the public agenda issues.
Local Media and Policy Outcomes
McCombs in one of his emails stated that the field of political communication had little to do with state and local elections and public opinions. In little groups, general society tends to set the plan for media scope. The daily newspaper for example, is liable to get pressure from the people in that community. In this way, the editors give their stories from the perspective of the people in the community instead of from expert standard of objectivity. The daily newspapers are steady and cover a particular group covering financial issues in a particular society. Neighborhood issues, nonetheless, are not remote but rather part of the viable worries that happen each day in individuals' lives.
Media Manipulation
In the late 1990s, the people of Sydney were informed by the media that the coastline fish were contaminated and immediately the fish market declined. The scientists and the engineers had kept quiet over this issue for some time until a newspaper published the details. The impact of the broad communications on open discernment is generally recognized, yet few individuals can explain how this happens (Holiday, 2012). The mass media has thus been pushing buttons at the depths of the unconscious mind. The media has found ways where it wins people's mind by opening new possibilities and trust to people. Media manipulation thus shapes what people see, hear and watch.
The media has significant strength whereby it is able to manipulate people even on false information. Lee conducted a research that showed the effects of manipulation by the media and published his findings of his study in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media in 2015 (Lee, 2015).The results of his findings indicated that an individual can be manipulated by the media through news or stories produced by the media. The media are experts and they know what people want to hear or read, therefore they will just bring the news right at the doorstep of an individual whom they want to influence.
Data Collection
Walter Lippmann delivered one of the principal works that concerned the utilization of broad communications in America. In popular sentiment, Lippmann compared the masses that needed to be guided by a governing class. In his study, he found out that there was a specialized class that had to lead others who were the minority. Mass media, therefore, was judged to be a tool that helped the elite rule the public without physical coercion. Lippmann had the conclusion that the overall population is not qualified to reason and to settle on imperative issues. It is, in this manner, vital for the world-class to choose then offer the choices to the masses.
Edward Bernays is thought to be the father of advertising and utilized ideas found by his uncle, Sigmund Freud to control people, in general, utilizing the intuitive. As per Edward, the masses should be monitored by an undetectable government to guarantee the survival of democracy. Bernays trailblazing promoting effort significantly changed the working of American culture. He primarily made consumerism by making a society wherein Americans purchased items for pleasure as opposed to purchasing for survival. Consequently, he was given honours by a certain local magazine and recognized as one among the most persuasive Americans of the twentieth century.
Ryan Holiday (2012) found evidence on how online sites influence people. The major online outlets that were studied included the Fox News, CNN, Facebook, Twitter and blogs. These sites showed that some stories were covered more than others thus the bias. The findings suggested that manipulation can be unavoidable therefore judging of information is a necessary part of the role of the media.
In a single day, a lot of stories are covered by the media. The editors and reporters are the ones who decide what to give to the audience. A balance should, therefore, be struck in the news value as well as the economic value. For example, today, it would be logic for a newspaper publisher to write about Donald Trump vs. Hilary Clinton on his or her paper as the cover page. It is likely that the paper will sell more copies since the focus of many Americans right now is the coming elections and therefore what these two candidates say is a serious concern to the public.
A survey that was conducted by the Pew Research Centre for two weeks in 2015, among a sample of 2000 adults indicated that twitter and face book over the years has been serving as sources of news. According to findings, it was concluded that individuals rely on the media to look for information that they want to see and hear. It was also found out that 60% of the total population use face book and twitter for news. According to the Pew research centre, 59 % relied on Twitter for news while 31% opted for Facebook. Twitter was found to have a greater impact on influencing the public thus the biggest beneficiary. Media viewing is dependent on a partisanship bias thus alters an individual’s thinking and choice making (Barthel, Shearer, Gottfried, & Mitchell, 2015).
The resultant effect portrayed that viewers watch only that which reinforces their already held beliefs. This would thus lead to a cumulative effect of separation and division brought about by the increasing cable news channels viewed as having a partisan agenda. This is because the news network is aware of the nature of their audience thus present them with news that only serves to reinforce their beliefs.
In another research, it was concluded that the Republicans preferred stories attributed to Fox News while the Democrats prefer stories on other channels beside Fox news. The above details clearly show how the perception of source credibility by participants largely leads to an individual’s choice of network preference.
The web, particularly bloggers have made various new motivation and stages in their online posts through which people discover new stories. This in return has made the agenda setting harder to gauge according to McCombs and Shaw. Notwithstanding, the relationship between customary news media and the web is by all accounts fairly equal. One study discovered that online clients take issues from customary media and pass them on in web talks.
Criticism of Agenda setting theory
Agenda setting is used by the media to attempt to transfer salient issues into the public making the audience debate on informed decisions. The theory however has limitations as the crowds may not be perfect as the hypothesis announces. The groups of onlookers may likewise not be all well-educated or profoundly occupied with public affairs. On the other hand, the public may be aware of public affairs yet remain ignorant of the details. Another confinement is disregard of specific issues by the media. The media is tested with focusing more on a couple of issues or stories for the general population to consume. For example, the media of a given country might concentrate more on politics yet the country suffers epidemic diseases greatly.
The agenda setting theory assumes that when individuals are exposed to the same messages from the media, they will be biased by those messages. This assumption is however not correct as individuals have different frames of references. Therefore, what one might consider crucial another might just bypass it. People are therefore not likely to place importance on the same issues. Also, the hypothesis neglects to consider the individual interests of the person. Any matter considered striking by the broad communications and put in the general population space won't as a matter of course is viewed as noteworthy by people in general. The plan setting hypothesis utilizes a highly investigative methodology and subsequently in reasonable terms it is not prepared to stand a trial of examination since individuals are known to be people who usually do not have a proper stand. This is because humans are prompt to change their minds under any circumstances.
Final Remarks
Just like the chicken-egg conundrum of which came first, the agenda setting theory also falls prey as the critics are interested in knowing what matters the most between the public opinion and the Medias agenda. Lately with the improvement and rapid growth of technology, researchers have been able to realize that the agenda setting has reversed roles where individuals are influencing the media. This has resulted from issues arising in forums, blogs, online group discussions and the advanced social media sites. The theory of agenda setting however, has a lot of useful uses in the society. It gives the media energy to build up sifted news therefore pick up the popular assessment. The broad communications accordingly can assume a vital part in changing individuals' minds and choices. In addition, the agenda setting theory supports the concepts of the strong media effect. The speculation puts a high commitment on the management and staff of media in relation and in light of the fact that their unaffected behaviour can hurt the national interest.
References
Barthel, M., Shearer, E., Gottfried, J., & Mitchell, A. (2015). The Evolving Role of News on Twitter and Facebook . Pew Research Center's Journalism Project . Retrieved from http://www.journalism.org/2015/07/14/the-evolving-role-of-news-on-twitter-and-facebook/.
Eissler, R., Russell, A., & Jones, B. D. (2014). New Avenues for the Study of Agenda Setting. Policy Studies Journal , 42S71-S86. doi:10.1111/psj.12048
Holiday, R. (2012). Forbes Welcome. Forbes.com . Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanholiday/2012/07/16/what-is-media-manipulation-a-definition-and-explanation/#63a50e6b3fc6 .
Kovačić, B. (1997). Emerging Theories of Human Communication. New York: State University of New York Press.
Lee, J. K. (2015). Knowledge as a Measure of News Reception in the Agenda-Setting Process. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 59 (1), 22-40.
McCombs, M. (2004). Setting the Agenda: The Mass Media and Public Opinion. Canada: Blackwell Publishing Inc.
Rogers, E., Dearing, J., & Bregman, D. (1993). The Anatomy of Agenda-Setting Research. J Communication, 43 (2), 68-84. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1993.tb01263.
