Agenda Setting Theory

I. McCombs and Shaw
A. Study
B. Meaning

II. Awareness
A. Cues
B. Framing

III. Information
A. Reality
B. Agenda

IV. Conclusion

Agenda Setting Theory

Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw began a study they called as agenda setting theory. They began their study during the 1968 presidential campaign and published it in 1972 in the Public Opinion Quarterly. They wanted to prove that the media could not tell people what to think, but could control what issues to think about. It came from a scientific perspective and it was easy to understand. During their study, McCombs and Shaw found that the issues voters found to be important were continuously being reported in the media Media uses different methods to make people aware about certain issues. They use cues to get people to focus on what the media feels is important. The media places particular issues on the front page of the newspaper. The size of the headings and images printed in the newspaper also has an impact on the reader. During the presidential campaigns, public discussions are used to point out important issues. Along with cues, the media also uses framing. News reports focus on one aspect of story to control what people will learn about an issue. Media uses these techniques for agenda setting to make people think about their selected issues. The media decides how much information to provide viewers and how they intend people to perceive it. The media does not reflect reality, but only shapes it. They leave out certain facts and add opinions. The reality of the issue is then altered. The agenda setting of the media is to manipulate the issue and to dictate what people should think is important in everyday life. For example, the Clinton scandal received great media attention. Every time the television or radio was turned on the issues surrounding Clinton was on. The media made people believe that this was an important issue because it was on the news daily and various times. Clinton was perceived, as the media wanted him to be seen. Many people felt he should be impeached because of the information given and how it was presented. Many other people stood by Clinton and felt that much of the information was