More Bang for the Buck: Media Freedom and Organizational Strategies in the Agenda-Setting of Human Rights Groups

Abstract

Studies investigating the agenda-setting of human rights groups disagree on both their prospects of garnering political attention, and the factors that help them in that quest. This study makes the argument that we need to take account of both macro-institutional opportunity structures and actor-level strategies in order to gain a more complete understanding of the group-media interface. Specifically, it posits that the urgency of social problems only drives media attention toward groups if a country's media landscape is sufficiently free, and that within these institutional constraints, groups themselves can enhance their media access by providing newsmakers with information subsidies. These claims are substantiated by way of a novel cross-nationally comparative data set of more than 1,000 domestic election monitoring and advocacy organizations. Findings show that media attention is structurally limited by the degree to which the news media serve as an open arena, and that even in countries with a free press, few groups achieve media access. At the same time, the most successful groups are not necessarily the most resourceful ones. Rather, strategic choices to invest in media effort, narrow policy engagement, and professionalization substitute for scarce resources, thereby giving groups "more bang for their buck." The results clarify the causal mechanisms behind the dominance of resource-rich groups on the media agenda and reinforce calls for more globally comparative research into media agenda-setting.

Informational demand across the globe: toward a comparative understanding of information exchange

“…These decision-makers will value expert input more than political information, as the former is more consequential to consolidate their country's prosperity and their own hierarchical position. Political information is less relevant for such decision-makers, as they are usually insulated from electoral retaliation, protest, and criticism in the public sphere (Grömping, 2019). In other words, in these countries, technical expertise provides more leverage to organized interests.…”

Life, death or drugs: Actor framing power on the news media coverage of health care policy

“…Hall et al, 1978). Recent studies suggest that culturally resonant frames that comply with news values, comprised as ‘framing expertise’ (Dan and Ihlen, 2011), can be more important for media influence than a powerful, institutional position (Grömping, 2019). Furthermore, an emerging literature on lobbying coalitions finds that ‘frame alignment’ (Snow et al, 1986), where groups or individuals promote similar frames, is crucial for framing success (e.g.…”

Associativism in nursing, public communication, and interaction with the media

“…Social movements and media theories (12)(13)(14)(15) can help understand the mechanisms underlying the relationship between nursing associations and the media. It is assumed that both social movements (e.g., non-governmental organizations) and PNAs need access to the media to achieve some of their objectives: in the case of PNAs, it may be about defending universal health coverage, support for patient groups, or professional regulation.…”

“…However, the construction of news is not limited to the efforts of associations to gain access to the media, nor is it exhausted in the relationship between sources and journalists. There is a hierarchy of influences on news content: social systems and ideology, formal institutions, media companies, the socialization and attitudes of journalists and editors are fundamental to the creation of the final product, the news (15) . These factors contribute to the definition of the problems (framing), the selection of themes, and the publication or not of the contents.…”