Agenda Setting Function Theory

Year: 1972

Theorists: Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw

Background: The Agenda Setting Function Theory was developed as a result of their 1968 study of North Carolina voters during a presidential election campaign. They found a correlation between issues that voters believed were important and issues that the media gave prominence to. They argued that the media can’t tell audiences what to think but they can tell them what to think about, that the media has the power to set agendas.

The theorists noted that, “the power of the news media to set a nation’s agenda, to focus public attention on a few key public issues, is an immense and well-documented influence.” Newspapers provide a range of cues about the salience of the topics in the daily news – lead story on page one, other front page display, large headlines, etc. Television news also offers numerous cues about salience – the opening story on the newscast, length of time devoted to the story, etc. These cues repeated day after day effectively communicate the importance of each topic. In other words, the news media can set the agenda for the public’s attention to that small group of issues around which public opinion forms.”

Key terms:

Agenda: the things an organisation (e.g. a media organisation) considers to be important or wants address
Salience: the quality of something being important, noticeable or prominent

Level of media power: ★★★/★★★