Agenda setting is a
theory but like all good, solid theories is all a bit obvious really (Bruce).
When you really think about it, most of our perceptions of parts
of the world we have never seen, our mental images and the way we believe them
to be run, are a result of the media’s representation. In many cases, our discernment
of reality is socially constructed through the media’s communication. So the
media’s role in structuring and mediating the social world is immense.
Four main agendas in the agenda setting theory were defined.
1.
Public agenda – what the public perceives as
important
2.
Policy agenda – issues of political prominence
for decision makers
3.
Corporate agenda – Issues that corporations and
business deem important eg. Coal seam gas.
4.
Media agenda – issues discussed in the media
Each of these four agendas are closely interrelated.
This diagram is
interesting as it shows that much of the information we receive is first
filtered through the media and through the media’s agenda.
There are two main assumptions of the agenda setting theory.
Firstly, the media’s concentration on a few issues, leads the public to believe
that these are more important that other issues. An example of this is AIDS. Because
it is rarely explored by the media, it is rarely thought about by those unaffected
by it. Secondly, the mass media do not merely reflect the reality of these few
issues for the public. They filter and shape it, possibly making it more interesting
or deciding which aspects of it to focus on. This is where news values come in.
An interesting model for the way in which the media
influences our perceptions was the ‘hypodermic needle model’, suggesting the
media is injecting their ideas, and constructions of reality into our brains!!!
. However, for this hypodermic needle model to be accurate it would assume
everyone was uniform in actually believing the information they are given, and perceived
it in the same way – which of course would not happen.
According to Walter Lippman, the mass media creates or
leaves certain images in our heads. Think of the famous 9/11 image of the plane
about to crash into the second tower. This, or something similar is most likely
the image that comes to mind when we think of 9/11. I also think that other images
such as ‘a man in a turban’, often associated with, but not actually depicting the
event, can add to fuel prejudices in society. Nazi propaganda as well as US communism
propaganda are great examples of this, for example, Leni Riefenstahl’s film ‘Triumph of the Will’,
commissioned by Joseph Goebbels.
Right: Anti communist propaganda
A great quote from Lippman was “in truly effective thinking,
the prime necessity is to liquidate judgements, regain an innocent eye,
disentangle feelings, be curious and open hearted”.
Finally, we were introduced to the Agenda setting family.
Media gate keeping – how individual journalists control the
flow of information to the public. What they choose to allow the public to see.
Media advocacy – purpose for the media’s promotion of a
message.
Agenda cutting – issues not in the media do not receive as
much attention or focus.
Agenda surfing or bandwagon effect – the media follows
trends of what is popular at the moment, reporting the most popular stories.
The diffusion of news – the process of events being
communicated to public. How where and when they are released.
Portrayal of an issue – the media can portray issues or
groups in negative or positive lights.
Media dependence – the constant need for us to check
facebook and twitter every few minutes and our reliance on the agenda setting
of the media.
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