Issue-Specific Agenda-Setting:The Whole as less than the Sum of the Parts

Abstract

The Agenda-Setting hypothesis of mass media effects posits a direct, causal link between the issues and personalities emphasized in the communication media and public salience of those issues and personalities. While this broad statement has been useful for making general assertions to the effect that the media "tell us what to think about," it remains a general statement which must be further delineated (McCombs, 1977).A number of Agenda-Setting researchers have ignored the attempts at theory building in this area, choosing instead to test their own conceptual and operational parameters (c.f. Kaid, Hale and Williams, 1977;Sohn, 1978). However, some attempts have been made to refine the seemingly monolithic Agenda-Setting concept. Audience attributes such as the amount of media exposure, interpersonal discussion, and need for orientation have been examined (Weaver and McCombs, 1978; Weaver, 1977;Winter 1981a).Less attention has been paid to stimulus attributes such as the nature of the issue and the medium. With respect to the former, in fact, issues have almost consistently been treated in the aggregate (Atwood, Sohn

Is There an Elite Hold? Traditional Media to Social Media Agenda Setting Influence in Blog Networks

“…Issue characteristics have been shown to play a strong role in mediating the traditional media's issue agenda setting effect. Prior research has shown that media's agenda setting impact is stronger with unobtrusive issues or issues that the audience has less direct, personalized experience with in real‐world contexts (Zucker, 1978; Winter, Eyal, & Rogers, 1982; Smith, 1987; Weaver et al, 1981). The media's ability to influence the audience's agenda with issues is also related to the nature of the issue: Abstract issues are more difficult to transfer to the audience than concrete issues (Yagade & Dozier, 1990).…”

BQ in the House: The Nature of Sovereigntist Representation in the Canadian Parliament

“…However, attention to national unity -which has the highest standard deviation over the period -is characterized by marked punctuations and long lulls (see Figure 1). The salience of national unity is likely driven by some combination of real-world events, media, public opinion, and government priorities (Winter et al 1982;Soroka 2002: 30). As we have seen, within the government, the disproportionate attentiveness given to national unity issues by the BQ suggests that it is overwhelmingly responsible for taking the issue to the House.…”

A more national representation of place in Canadian daily newspapers

“…While the terrorist group that staged the kidnappings was essentially undone by these events, Quebec soon saw the rise of a legitimate political party working for sovereignty, and Canada's ensuing national unity crisis remains unresolved. News coverage of these events was heavy, and most of it was classified as national in this study (Soderlund et al ; Winter et al ; Taras ).…”