Agenda_Setting_Theory

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T o b e s u b m i t t e d t o 
D r . S a u m y a P a n t 
M I C A 
N a m e : K a r a n R G a i k w a d 
R o l l N o . 1 9 0 2 7 
 
さArtists use lies to tell the truth. Yes, I created a lie. But 
because you believed it, you found something true about 
yourself.ざ 
 -V 
Agenda Setting 
Theory 
Introduction to Agenda Setting Theory 
 
As defined by McCombs M and Reynolds A (2002) the agenda setting theory describes the "ability [of 
the news media] to influence the salience of topics on the public agenda." It basically means that the 
then more a news article is promoted in terms of frequency and prominence and coverage, the more 
the audiences will give importance to it. 
This can be explained by the cognitive accessibility mechanism which basically says that you recall 
what you watch and see the most. 
The following line puts it in a nutshell: 
“We judge as important what the media judge as important.” 
The chicken and egg question: 
There always exist these questions. 
Does the agenda of the media depend on that of the audience? 
or 
Does the agenda of the depend audience on that of the media? 
People will generally read only what they are interested in. But when it comes to the things that they 
are not interested in, the salience showed by the media plays a huge role in shaping their opinion. 
The 2 levels: 
The theory as stated by Balmas and Sheafer (2010) in "Candidate Image in Election Campaigns: 
Attribute Agenda Setting, Affective Priming, and Voting Intentions", says that agenda setting happens 
in two levels. The first level agenda setting can be understood by the following line 
“The media may not only tell us what to think about...” 
While the second level of agenda setting can be understood with the help of the following continuation 
of the above statement. 
“... but also how to think about it.” 
The 3 types: 
Rogers and Dearing(1988) identified three types of agenda setting in their work, "Agenda-setting 
research: Where has it been, where is it going?" It basically lists the three affected parties i.e. parties 
whose agenda is the dependent variable. They are: 
 Public agenda setting 
 Media agenda setting 
 Policy agenda setting 
Scope: 
Agenda setting is basically done for two issues, politics and economics. However, if we look closely, 
agenda setting is all around us. Maxwell McCombs, in his research review titled “A look at agenda 
setting: Past, present and future” lists a few more such categories where agenda setting is being 
used. 
 Corporate reputations 
 Sports 
 Religion 
Photographs: 
Eric Jenner, in his article “News photographs and environmental agenda setting” investigates the 
influence that photographs have on the policy agenda. He uses a dynamic, multidirectional model to 
estimate whether the volume of news photographs, in addition to news stories, influences issue 
salience among the mass public and policymakers. 
 
 
Future scope: 
With the advent of new media, where information is readily available, where internet and mobile 
penetration is growing day by day, makes us think of how the effective agenda setting might be. In 
these times, when we get personalized newspapers and we can choose to watch any news that we 
want, it will be interesting to see how the agenda setters will do their setting. 
 
 
Examples
 
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: 
Published in 1932, Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, is 
one example of many dystopian narratives. At first sight, it 
looks like the supreme realization of a governmental 
agenda: technology is used for the benefit of people; 
everyone has work, income and health; the government 
provides for all the needs; there are no social distresses 
and happiness is accessible. Under a closer look, we can 
perceive that the means by which such society is built are 
prejudicial and imposed on people. 
In this world, the citizens are not born but produced in test 
tubes. Each “mother” gives birth to as many as 87 
children. These children are genetically modified at birth 
for the prevalence of social classes. The “Alphas” are 
perfect beings with superior intellect and physique while 
the “Omegas” are the ones with low intellect and disfigured 
bodies. These classes are deliberately maintained to have 
social equilibrium in the system. The children are 
“programmed” at birth using the techniques similar to the 
Pavlovian dog to tell them of socially acceptable 
behaviours. During this programming, they are told of the 
uselessness of old literature which conveniently 
disappears. After all this, the government makes them 
believe that it gives them access to all information and makes them believe in the soundness of the 
system. Why do this? The following line from the book answers the question: 
"Stability," said the Controller, "stability. No civilization without social stability. No social stability 
without individual stability." 
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd: 
Published from 1982 to 1989, V for Vendetta, the graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd also 
depicts a dystopian society, but this time, it is much more visibly controlling and oppressive. The story 
is set in UK which has just been through a nuclear war and which is currently under the rule of a very 
dominating fascist party. This party believes in their motto, which is, “Strength through purity; purity 
through faith.” The story revolves around a masked protagonist/terrorist called V who aims to 
overthrow this government and give people what was rightfully theirs. Freedom. He says, 
“Since mankind's dawn, a handful of oppressors have 
accepted the responsibility over our lives that we should 
have accepted for ourselves. By doing so, they took our 
power. By doing nothing, we gave it away. We've seen 
where their way leads, through camps and wars, 
towards the slaughterhouse.” 
The story begins with how this government which was 
earlier a pharmaceutical company came to power. To 
create the need for a drug, it infected an entire schools 
water supply with a certain virus resulting in the death of 
hundreds of children. The media created a fear in the 
minds of the people which in turn put power in the hands 
of the pharmaceutical company who alone had a cure 
for the virus. The entire narrative is a fight against this 
agenda setting done by the government. Access to 
culture, especially books is forbidden. Deprived of 
books, the people are deprived of imagination. 
Understanding that literature is freedom and defiance, a 
totalitarian state cannot allow its people to access that. 
Devoid of literature, and subject to extreme surveillance, 
the people fall prey to the fascist propaganda promoted 
not only by the government but also by the clergy. This is an extreme case of agenda setting where 
the government tries to convince people of the sustainability of the system. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Critique
 
Let us first look at the people who own the media companies. You will find that they are a select few 
individuals. Rupert Murdoch was the biggest of them all and we all know his story. Funny how you 
look at the two words “his story” don’t they remind you of the word history? My question is, is it a bad 
thing or a good thing? I feel that in a way it is necessary. Given the choice, all people will have 
different choices different beliefs. Without a little bit of push they are bound to be confused. Not 
everyone wants to think for themselves. Forcing them to do so is only asking for the impossible. We 
have to accept the fact that not everyone wants to do so or can do so. A similar example is given in 
Brave new world. But with the apocalyptic examples that I have given (even though fictional) we can 
see how the entire idea can escalate. So, its important to choose those who set the agenda properly. 
Its important to give people the freedom of choice.To let them have all the information. Those who 
want to make informed decisions will do so. When I say that agenda setting is not a bad thing, I 
definitely am not talking about the extremes. What I am saying is that nudging people in a certain 
direction is not that bad a thing to do so that those who are willing to accept it will do so and those 
who are unwilling to accept it will have ways and means of showcasing their dissent. I agree that this 
too is a very utopian idea. But I still believe that we need a direction. All we can do is hope that its 
given by the right people. 
Here we are, all talking about a utopian society. Whether it be my view, that the agenda setters 
should be ideal persons, or the contemporary view that there should be no setting, meaning that the 
public is an ideal, thinking mass. Like the answer to all such questions that deal with ideal 
conundrums I would like to use the cliché line , "our solution is somewhere is between these two." 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
References: 
 
 McCombs M and Reynolds A (2002) the agenda setting theory 
 Balmas and Sheafer (2010) in "Candidate Image in Election Campaigns: Attribute Agenda 
Setting, Affective Priming, and Voting Intentions" 
 Rogers and Dearing(1988) in "Agenda-setting research: Where has it been, where is it 
going?" 
 Eric Jenner in “News photographs and environmental agenda setting” 
 Brave New world by Aldous Huxley 
 V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd