A national poll and a content analysis of network newscasts examined if coverage of foreign nations had an agenda-setting influence. The more media coverage a nation received, the more likely respondents were to think the nation was vitally important to U.S. interests, supporting the agenda-setting hypothesis. The more negative coverage a nation received, the more likely respondents were to think negatively about the nation, supporting the second level of agenda setting. Positive coverage of a nation had no influence on public perceptions.

This study examined the agenda-setting process and the role it may play on the Internet, specifically in electronic bulletin boards (EBB). Online media coverage of four issues from five news media were downloaded during the 1996 fall political campaign. The frequency of EBB discussions of each issue served as the surrogate for the public agenda. An ARIMA model cross-correlational test showed EBB discussions of three issues—immigration, health care, and taxes—correlated with news media coverage, with time lags varying from 1 day to 7 days. Only for abortion did the media have no apparent agenda-setting effect. Media coverage apparently can provide individuals with information they can use in their EBB specific-issue discussions.

Second-level agenda setting was examined during the New Hampshire primary through a comparison of Gallup poll responses and coverage in three newspapers in the region. Results show that John McCain was covered much more positively than George W. Bush. The findings also show that respondents linked four of six cognitive attributes (issues, personal characteristics) to candidates in direct proportion to media coverage. The results show less support for media influence on the affective (positive) attributes individuals linked to candidates.

This study examined three audience attributes in the agenda-setting process: individuals' perceived credibility of the news media, their reliance on the news media for information, and their exposure to media messages. A model of agenda-setting is proposed based on the assumptions that if individuals perceive the media to be highly credible, they will rely on the media for information, will increase their exposure to media messages, and in turn will become more susceptible to agenda-setting effects. A path analysis supports the model. All path coefficients in the final model are statistically significant. Effects coefficients suggest that only exposure plays a major role in determining the intensity of agenda-setting effects. A secondary analysis discovered that a credibility index - dealing with community affiliation - also had a direct effect on media agenda-setting.

This study compared issue agendas and story focus at newspapers with relatively high percentages of women in editorial positions with those at newspapers with lower percentages of female editors. Content analysis of stories from thirty newspapers' Web sites showed few differences in issues covered, but differences in what male and female reporters covered related to the predominant editor gender. Newspapers with a high percentage of female editors appeared not to differentiate between male and female reporters when assigning beats, as is apparently the case at male-dominated newsrooms. Also, papers with predominately male editors contained news with a more negative focus.