Importance Of Agenda Setting In Media

Literature Review

In communication, Agenda Setting became the most robust theory if not the most (Ghanem, et al. 2009). The resilience of Agenda Setting is a result of a combination of its expansive area of influence, qualities, roots, and the connection to other theories (Ghanem, et al. 2009). According to Blumler and Kavanagh (1999), “among the field's master paradigms, agenda setting may be most worth pursuing” (Ghanem, et al. 2009). There are hundreds of researches and publications done by researchers on this topic due to its noteworthy aspects and areas to study. There are several factors that contribute to frame the the agenda in media, could be the individual journalists, media routines, organizational factors, social institutions,

Journalists, editors, broadcasters could shape the publics opinions and encourage them to focus on certain issues (McCombs, & Shaw 1972). It’s not only limited to know about the recent issues but also to keep thinking about it and know how importance it is to feel attached to the subject. Once the public have this feeling they will be waiting for what’s up next on that particular subject. Bernard Cohen stated that “The press may not be successful much of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about” (1963). Cohen stated Agenda Setting as a measure of success for press. It’s about to have an influence on others and make them interested in news particular press is publishing. The robustness of agenda setting is linked to its roots in the early 20th century, which is Public Opinion (Ghanem, et al. 2009). Lippmann (1922) stated that public opinion is a reaction to the content published by media, which could not be a reflection of truth (Ghanem, et al. 2009). According to Neuman et al. (2014) online media is reacting to traditional media as well by being influenced by it but and draw the public attention to it. This emphasize on the power of media and it can make the audience think about what’s is published. The power is indirect but powerful enough to affect public opinion and prioritize the

(2004) pointes out the importance of reading the "Public Opinion Quarterly" piece by MCcombs and Shaw, "The Agenda Setting Function of Mass Media" about their experimental examination of a U.S. presidential campaign which reported how voters in Chapel Hill in North Carolina used media in these elections. Coleman (2004) The book underlines that agenda setting theory is not a result of a "diabolical plan" by journalists to shape the public opinion in a certain way, but "an inadvertent by-product of the necessity to focus" the news. Bernard Cohen expanded theory later when he said that the press is not only provides information and opinion to the audience, but that the press is very successful in telling people what to think about more than in telling them what to think. Cohen's findings became the basic for what is now called the Agenda Setting of mass media (Muin