Agenda

Nowadays it is possible to find a few people who do not think that mass media affect, to some extent, public opinion. Admittedly, people find out about numerous events and phenomena from mass media. This assumption can be regarded as a basis for the agenda-setting theory. The theory’s major point is that mass media decide what is the most important news and what event (or person) â€Å"deserves† less attention. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Agenda-Setting Theory in Public Policy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is necessary to point out that the basic points of the agenda-setting theory are plausible, and the strength of the theory lies in the fact that media do shape public opinion to certain extent, but the weakness of the theory is that mass media’s impact is somewhat over-estimated. McCombs and Shaw claim that people â€Å"learn not only about a given issue, but also how much impor tance to attach to that issue from the amount of information†, in this way media are setting the â€Å"agenda† (1972, 176). Admittedly, this basic assumption of their theory is plausible since mass media do â€Å"sorts† news and adhere different levels of importance to each event and person. Thus, many people follow the set â€Å"agenda† and pay more attention to most important and less attention to least important. Besides, this principle works in the same way when it deals with political campaigns. One of the greatest strengths of the agenda-setting theory is that it presents â€Å"a vast wealth of research on the impact of mass media content on the public agenda† (McCombs and Ghanem 2003, 68). The theory reveals the major processes which influence public opinion. It is especially relevant when considering political campaigns since at present the â€Å"information in the mass media becomes the only contact many have with politics† (McCombs and Shaw 1972, 176). Thus, politicians’ pledges are perceived through the vision of mass media. Apparently, when mass media highlight the campaign of a politician and there is nothing said about others, people can forget about the existence of â€Å"others†. However, apart from the strengths the agenda-setting theory has quite a significant weakness. Crespi states that the theory â€Å"does not accept the discredited image of all-powerful mass media†, but â€Å"does ascribe a major role to them [mass media] in the public opinion process† (1997, 40). Nevertheless, even the major role of mass media is quite a disputable issue. Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More McCombs and Ghanem claim that the plausibility of the agenda-setting theory is supported by the fact that voters do not have â€Å"alternative means of observing the day-to-day changes in the political arena† (2003, 185). However, it is not taken into account that voters are usually exposed to different types of mass media. Admittedly, various newspapers and magazines set different agendas. Some people prefer reading this or that newspaper or magazine because it highlights campaigns and activities of a certain politician. In this case, the voter sets his own agenda by choosing this or that source of information. These cases are not rare; on the contrary they are rather common. Thus, this is the most evident weakness of the theory which assumes that mass media play the primary role. In conclusion, it is possible to point out that the agenda-setting theory is very important in terms of the study of mass media impact on public opinion. The major strength of the study is that it reveals certain processes which define the impact of mass media. However, the major weakness of the theory is that it regards mass media as primary source of public agenda shaping. Biblio graphy Crespi, Irving. The Public Opinion Process: How the People Speak. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1997. McCombs, Maxwell and Salma I. Ghanem. â€Å"The Convergence of Agenda Setting and Framing.† In Framing Public Life: Perspectives on Media and Our Understanding of the Social World, edited by Oscar H. Gandy, August E. Grant, Stephen D. Reese, 67-83. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2003. McCombs, Maxwell E. and Donald L. Shaw â€Å"The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media.† Public Opinion Quarterly 36, no. 2 (1972): 176-187.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Agenda-Setting Theory in Public Policy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This essay on Agenda-Setting Theory in Public Policy was written and submitted by user Legend Bowen to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Agenda Table of Contents Introduction Impact of the media on the public policy process Positive Effects of Agenda Setting Theory Negative Effects of Agenda Setting Theory Conclusion Bibliography Footnotes Introduction Mass-media has a lot of influence on the audience in terms of the daily information for discussion. People talk about topics in the newspapers or in the radios. This is the basis for the agenda setting theory, brought forward by 1972 by Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw1. The mass-media determines the information that is prioritized by the public, therefore directing their interests towards a particular media.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Agenda-Setting Theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The audience depends on the keenness given to various thoughts, concerns or matters by the media that make the topic more or less important. The media makes use of this aspect to raise the awareness of the public on relevant matters. This theory helps to explain what is regarded as vital by the people, as well as determines the key issues as seen by the public, based on the media that they are exposed to2. The role of the media is to report and the people then form their opinions based on the information provided. The agenda setting theory is both advantageous and disadvantageous. The merit is that it provides people with information, while the demerit is that this information is biased. The bias is because the media chooses for the people what is more vital, based on the prominence of the reports. The agenda setting function was observed to have a variety of components including: media agenda, which are the means of relaying information such as newspapers and the television; public agenda, which are issues considered by the public to be important and therefore raising discussions; policy agenda, which are the matters that are regarded as vital by policy makers such as the legislators; and corporate agenda, which are the matters regarded as vital by big businesses. The agenda setting effect is observed to be predictable, based on the characteristics of the media, the problems and the people3. Impact of the media on the public policy process The first step in influencing an audience is getting their attention on a particular issue. The media does this by increasing the prominence of a particular topic on their reports. The media also affects the understanding of the issues presented, and creates a viewpoint in the audience, which contributes to the public opinion. Every issue is observed to have many objects, which in turn have attributes. The emphasis of the media on various attributes is what determines the public perception and attention on a particular issue.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the analysis conducted by McComb and Shaw during the 1968 pres idential campaign, they observed the various issues raised by various media, and studied the responses provided by the candidates with regard to those issues4. The forms of media used in the study included the television and print media. The attention given by the media via the television was based on the time spent on reporting the issue, as well as the position of the story, in terms of leading. The priority of issues in the newspapers and magazines were based on the space allocated, as well as the position of the story. The issues raised in the media were observed to be key campaign topics for the various candidates, which led the public to judge the candidates based on their responses to those issues. This was an indicator of the influence of the media on the decisions made by the audience. This gave the media a lot of power in terms of how they portrayed the candidates, based on how they tackled these issues, which were now the focus of the nation. This was observed to be the e pitome of political power, since politicians can observe trends in the media and the public, then frame their opinions in a manner to satisfy the people’s expectations5. The media agenda has been identified to influence the public agenda though it does not determine it. The influence of the media does not overpower the ability of the public to make rational decisions on the main issues regarding their communities or nation. The people are observed to be capable of determining the importance of an issue that has been presented by the media, irrespective of whether it is recurrent. If the public identifies the news stories in the media to be important, then the media can be said to have set the agenda. An example of the rationality behind people’s opinions despite media efforts to sway their views was observed in the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. The media failed in its efforts to relate the scandal to the accomplishments or disappointments in governance of President Clinton while in office6.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Agenda-Setting Theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The essence of agenda-setting was identified to be a psychological need by people to understand the scenario of a new situation. The media-agenda is seen to influence especially in situations where the public has little information on the particular issue. Politically, this is seen when there are new candidates or referendum issues that people are not adequately informed in. The media provides orientation to the public on new and unfamiliar issues. The degree of the need for orientation depends on the relevance of the matter and the level of uncertainty7. Positive Effects of Agenda Setting Theory One of the benefits of the media is that it provides people with information of the occurrences both locally and internationally. This information is what determines the discussions held among friends, since it invo lves situations of people we love and helps to determine the well-being of our liberty. The research conducted by McComb and Shaw was beyond the investigation of whether the media determined the issues discussed by the community. Maxwell determined that the topics that people discussed were chosen by the media, which was indicated by the continued discussion of a particular issue that remained on the front page for a long time. In addition to this discovery8, McComb sought to find out whether the thoughts of the people were controlled by the media, in terms of what people thought about, and how they thought about it. People were observed to follow the content provided by the media in everyday discussions. The agenda-setting theory helps to explain why the public collectively prioritizes similar topics. It also identifies that people exposed to the same media hold similar positions of the key issues, while exposure to varying media creates varying key issues. Consumer research is a f ield that has benefited from agenda setting, in that organizations can be able to tailor their messages so that they can pull the crowd, based on what is considered to be of importance to the public. The public is dependent on mass-media to receive the most important information, which is relayed in a manner that is easy to understand9.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Negative Effects of Agenda Setting Theory The media sets the agenda for discussion based on the information provided with bias. An example of a story that was publicized for a long time was the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. By virtue of it being on the newspaper front page for several days, the matter was a hot discussion topic. The media stations were also in competition for providing any new information relating to the scandal first, and so they posted updates on websites. The media stations shared every bit of information with the people, which is one of the negative impacts of the media on society. The provision of excess information by the media becomes harmful to the public, and especially the involved parties10. The people who are constantly talked about and judged by the public due to continued display of their issues by the media find it difficult to overcome their problems, with everyone watching. Another incidence of the negative impact of the agenda setting theory is in the televising of the capture of children by Iraqi soldiers. The release of this kind of information to the concerned family members via the media is not the right approach. The information provided by the media is also likely to be politically influenced due to the correlation between media owners and the politicians11. Since politicians are in some cases sponsored by media owners, they may choose to direct their political advertisements through particular media, therefore influencing the material that is made available to the public. Agenda setting is also disadvantageous in that it may neglect some key issues, leaving the public uninformed on some important matters. At the same time, the media creates a sense of biasness among the people, due to selective availing of information that makes them appear favorable to the public. This implies that the public may not be thoughtful or keenly involved in public matters, due to the lack of detailed information12. Conclusion Every single day, there is an issue for discussion among members of the public. This topic is on most cases determined by the media. Despite the disadvantages of having particular topics with higher priority than others, the media plays a big role in providing the information, which we can then process and come up with an opinion for ourselves. The opinions that people form from the stories in the media can then be expressed using various channels, without interference from the government, due to freedom of speech. According to the studies conducted by McComb and Shaw, high salience of affect prevented the media from obtaining more information regarding matters of high individual significance. It was recommended that investigations on communication behaviour and political agenda-setting include other variables. The consideration of psychological and sociological variables was identified to be of importance in the study of political consensus. Bibliography McCombs, Maxwell, and Donald Shaw. â€Å"Th e agenda-setting function of mass media.† Public Opinion Quarterly, 1972: 36, 176-187. McCombs, Maxwell, Esteban Lopez-Escobar, and Juan Pablo Llamas. â€Å"Setting the agenda of attributes in the 1996 Spanish general election.† Journal of Communication, 2000: 50(2), 77-92. Rossler, Patrick, and Michael Schenk. â€Å"Cognitive bonding and the German reunification: Agenda-setting and persuasion effects of mass media.† International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 2000: 12(1), 29-47. Footnotes 1 Shaw and McCombs were studying the role of the media in the presidential campaign in 1968. The study was conducted in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 2 Maxwell McCombs, Lopez-Escobar Esteban, and Juan Pablo Llamas. â€Å"Setting the agenda of attributes in the 1996 Spanish general election.† Journal of Communication, 2000: 50(2), 77-92. 3Patrick Rossler, and Schenk Michael. â€Å"Cognitive bonding and the German reunification: Agenda-setting and persuasion effects of mass media.† International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 2000: 12(1), 29-47. 4Maxwell McCombs, and Donald Shaw. â€Å"The agenda-setting function of mass media.† Public Opinion Quarterly, 1972: 36, 176-187 5 Maxwell McCombs, and Donald Shaw, 182 6 Maxwell McCombs, Lopez-Escobar Esteban, and Juan Pablo Llamas, 87 7 Patrick Rossler, and Schenk Michael, 31 8 Maxwell McCombs, and Donald Shaw, 186 9 Maxwell McCombs, Lopez-Escobar Esteban, and Juan Pablo Llamas, 89 10 Maxwell McCombs, and Donald Shaw, 186 11 Patrick Rossler, and Schenk Michael, 32 12 Patrick Rossler, and Schenk Michael, 33 This essay on Agenda-Setting Theory was written and submitted by user Callum Dejesus to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Agenda

Very brief summary of Vietnam War essays

Very brief summary of Vietnam War essays After World War II, conflict arose between the French and Communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh and his established group the League for Independence of Vietnam (Viet Minh). In August 1945, Viet Minh guerillas captured the capital city of Hanoi in Indochina. Bao Dai, the emperor of Indochina was renounced and that region of Indochina changed into the independent nation of North Vietnam led by President Ho Chi Minh. On July 1, 1949, Bao Dai, with the help of the French founded South Vietnam and named the new capital of that country Saigon. In spring of 1954, the Viet Minh attacked the French fortification of Dien Bien Phu. After fighting for fifty-five days the French surrendered. On October 24, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower offered North Vietnam direct economic aid for their loss to the North. Within a couple months, U.S. military advisers were called to train South Vietnamese Army Forces. The Saigon government was continually helped by the Americans even after Bao Dai was overthrown and on October 23, 1955, South Vietnam was a republic headed by the president Ngo Dinh Diem. Saying that his government would turn down to hold reunification elections was one of his first actions. This was based on the people of North Vietnam not being able to express their own free will, which led to many falsified ballots. As a result of this war more than 2 million Vietnamese were killed, 3 million wounded, and hundreds of thousands of children orphaned. Shortly after that over 12 million Indochinese people became refugees. By boat around 500,000 tried to leave Vietnam but about 10 to 15 percent of the people died. Over 55,000 Americans were killed in the eight years of warfare and over 150,000 were wounded. During the agreement of ending the war there were 587 U.S. military and civilian prisoners of war. Not too long ago the number jumped up to 2500 POWs. The total cost of the Vietnam War up t...

Trade Policy of UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Trade Policy of UK - Essay Example Secondly, the study also includes the home ownership aspect to the determinants of preferences regarding trade. It indicates that home ownership taken independent of the type of factor has a correlation with trade barrier support in the countries where the manufacturing mix has a concentration in sectors of comparative disadvantage. Here, we see that the preferences have a dependence on the effect of trade policy on the income of factors of production as well as on the economic benefit of the individual. Therefore, the preferences towards trade policy may be as result of not only income of the factors, but also of the ownership of the assets that they possess. However, the assets such as housing do not become a part of the standard theory of trade since it is not employed and nor is it presently produced asset. The study also says that ownership of home is correlated to negative preference for free trade in places having a manufacturing mix that is concentrated in comparative-disadvantage sectors. It is to be noted that when the economy runs on the basis of certain sectors, factors have a direct link in those specific sectors. Hence, it so happens that factors in different sectors show their different preferences i.e. support or negativity. This happens when there is an assumption of immobility of factors between sectors. Here, if the sector is not an exporting one, they prefer protection. However, free trade is the most preferred, if the sector is an exporting one, which means there is negative preference for trade barriers. However, if we assume that factors have mobility, factors who have a higher supply (those factors that are more in number) will have a preference for free trade policy & those which are less in number will have a preference towards protection. The theory on the trade policy indicates that the trade policy is evaluated by individuals in the light of the effect of the same on their incomes. They see whether the effect of the policy is favorable on their income or not and then have a preference towards protection or free trade policy. This does not take into consideration the national welfare. This happens because the income of the factor is affected because of the changes in the relative prices of the products. As seen earlier, we have also taken a view of the mobility of factors of production. The changes in the mobility of factors make an impact on the changes in income and thus influence the decision about trade policy i.e. having a support towards trade barriers or towards free trade. When we talk about the mobility of the factors, we are taking an assumption that the factors can move costlessly amongst sectors. When free trade comes in, not only is product price affected, but there is a change in factor price also. Hence, with the possibility of shifting sectors, the returns rise for the labour. Hence, when this is possible the support towards free trade is higher, since it affects the income positively. This model generally assumes that there is support for protection in the sectors where the factors employed are those which are scarce. The above explanation clearly brings out that the factor type that is abundant will