Agenda Setting Theory

According to the agenda-setting theory, media organizations influence political discourse by selecting the most crucial subjects and emphasizing them in newscasts. It states that the media is the key force responsible for choosing which news items to prioritize and report on depending on public interest.

History

In a research on the 1968 presidential election known as "the Chapel Hill study," Drs. Max McCombs and Donald Shaw formally formulated agenda-setting theory. According to McCombs and Shaw, there was a significant association between what 100 Chapel Hill people believed to be the most crucial election topic and what the local media had reported to be that problem. McCombs and Shaw assess the extent to which the media influences the public by comparing the relevance of topics in news content with the people's views. 

These are the levels of agenda setting theory

First Level

The first level is typically utilized by researchers to examine how media is used, its goals, or the impacts that media has on individuals and the closest perception that people will have of their exposure to medial information.

Second level

At the second level, the media focuses on how people should think about the nature of the challenges. As a result, news reports may be sensationalized to grab viewers' attention. In actuality, the media seeks to seize public attention and spread awareness of some pressing concerns. This is why the media makes some causes popular. 

The agenda setting theory is applied in political advertisements, campaigns, corporate news, public relations, etc. Gatekeeping is the key idea behind the philosophy. The choice of material that is addressed in the media is under the direction and control of gatekeeping. It is presumable that the public is primarily interested in the results of media gatekeeping. The principal gatekeepers of media are editors. According to "newsworthiness," the news media chooses "what" events to transmit and display through the media "gates."

For instance, editors decide what information about news should be included and what shouldn't, which is why they are referred to be gatekeepers.

Gatekeepers are the strong authorities who make sure the appropriate information is shared widely. because certain topics are significant to the media but not to the general public. Additionally, they are quite concerned about not affecting public stability and harmony.

Factors affecting Agenda setting

The interaction between gatekeepers, editors, and managers, as well as outside factors, may impact agenda setting. These outside forces might come from important people, the government, or non-media sources. These elements have a significant impact on the process of defining the agenda, and the media agenda will ultimately be influenced by them based on their relative strength. For instance, “if the media has close relationship with the elite society, that class will probably affect the media agenda and the public agenda in turn” (Litlejohn,321).

Priming

It is possible to assess the media's role in putting out the norms and ideals that allow the items to receive a particular level of attention. The media's coverage will give certain concerns enough time and space, which will make them more vivid.

Simply said, the media emphasizes a given event to the point that it provides the idea that it is the most significant piece of news. This is carried out every day. The chosen news story is featured as a header or covered often for several months. Terms like headlines, special news features, dialogues, and expert opinions are presented as examples. Media primes news by repeating it and elevating it, like in the case of the Nuclear Deal.

Framing

Framing is a method of selective control. It can signify two things.

1. The normal structuring and contextualization of news items into a single frame of reference.
2. The audience adopts the frames of reference and develops a similar perspective of the world. This is how individuals judge the significance of a news item and the context in which it is being viewed.

Framing is concerned with how individuals value certain news. For instance, the media frames news about an assault, defeat, victory, and loss such that people view it from a different perspective.

As an illustration, consider the Kargil War between India and Pakistan. The news stories in both nations were written so that they portrayed their own nation favorably while disparaging the other. People's view will thus vary based on the media they have access to.

Criticisms of Agenda Setting Theory

1. Users of media are not perfect. It's possible that the peoples are not detail-oriented.
2. People who already know what they want to do have less of the influence.
3. Problems cannot be caused by media. Only the degree of awareness, priorities, importance, etc. can be changed.