Testing the Second Level of Agenda Setting: Effects of News Frames on Reader-Assigned Attributes of Hezbollah and Israel in the 2006 War in Lebanon

Abstract

An experiment involving 485 participants provided evidence for second-level agenda-setting effects of manipulated print media stories about the 2006 war in Lebanon. Investigators (1) measured readers' perceptions of the war's involved parties, Israel and Hezbollah, and (2) compared specific attributes that readers in each condition assigned to Israel and Hezbollah. Results demonstrated significant differences in attributes and perceptions of Israel and Hezbollah among five conditions. Computer content analysis of open-ended responses demonstrated a relationship between the version of the news story read by participants and the attributes that the participants assigned to Israel and Hezbollah.

The interplay of politics, economics and culture in news framing of Middle East wars

“…During the conflict, mainstream news played a significant role in shaping perceptions towards the fighting sides (Rill and Davis, 2008), which consequently affected diplomatic efforts and outcomes. While some went as far as claiming the media in this war became 'a weapon of modern warfare' (Kalb and Saivetz, 2007: 43), others leveled accusations of biased reporting, as is the case in every Arab-Israeli conflict (Gaber et al, 2009).…”

Construction of death in H1N1 news inThe Times of India

“…Recent studies have not only corroborated the original concept that the media tell the public what to think about, but have provided evidence that media also tell readers and viewers how they should think and feel about what they have been told to think about (Rill and Davis, 2008). The focus here is not on what media emphasize but on how media describe an issue (Coleman and Banning, 2006).…”

“…Media scholars have discussed the similarities and differences between agenda-setting and framing (Entman, 1993; Maher, 2003; McCombs and Ghanem, 2003). Some researchers have posited that second-level agenda-setting research associates itself with the media’s framing of an issue and people’s understanding of the same (Lee et al, 2005; Rill and Davis, 2008). Melkote (2009) has argued that it is a small theoretical leap from attribute agenda-setting to the concept of news framing.…”

Corporate responsibility in the fast fashion industry: how media pressure affected corporate disclosure following the collapse of Rana Plaza

“…Frames are formed by characteristics such as demographics and media literacy. The media frames refer to the way in which the news story is framed through its presentation or content (Rill and Davis, 2008). Media and audience frames have been shown to overlap, with media frames finding their way into audience frames.…”

“…"By covering attributes in either a positive, negative, or neutral tone, the media influence the public not only to decide on the importance of the issues being covered but also how to feel about the issues." (Rill and Davis, 2008).…”