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Agenda Setting Theory: Reality Reality

The agenda setting theory proposes that media plays a vital role in prioritizing what the public considers important issues. By intentionally focusing on and initiating debates around certain topics, media can influence public perception of what issues are most significant. This theory was developed by McCombs and Shaw through studying how media coverage shaped views of an election. They concluded that media has the power to set the public agenda by determining salience of topics in people's minds.

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Aashna Taneja
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26 views

Agenda Setting Theory: Reality Reality

The agenda setting theory proposes that media plays a vital role in prioritizing what the public considers important issues. By intentionally focusing on and initiating debates around certain topics, media can influence public perception of what issues are most significant. This theory was developed by McCombs and Shaw through studying how media coverage shaped views of an election. They concluded that media has the power to set the public agenda by determining salience of topics in people's minds.

Uploaded by

Aashna Taneja
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AGENDA SETTING THEORY

Media plays a very vital role that it prioritises the information or the news, thus determining for
public what is prime.

The media firms act as an agenda setter by intentionally stressing upon the issues through
initiating debate, discussions etc. Hence, convincing people in order to get the desired results

The agenda setting theory was given by Dr. MAX Mc Combs and Dr. Donald Shaw while
minutely studying an election process. They observed that media plays a pivotal role in setting
agenda.

Reality Reality

Perception
of reality

EFFECTS PARADIGM
The theories related to this paradigm suggest that the mass media have a direct and immediate
influence upon the individual in society.

Those observations led to the conclusion that media are very powerful in people’s lives, having
immediate and direct effects.

Critique of alternative paradigm effects


Every achievement has its own advantages and disadvantages. Thus Alternative Paradigm of development also not free

from certain limitations in spite of its many ideal approaches of development. The following are some of a few reflections from

both sides.
1. The new or alternative paradigm does not contain a single model for participation. In
terms of theory and research, the game consists of discovering what forms of
participation occur in particular contexts and relating those forms to existing social,
economic, and political conditions. Thus flexibility makes the paradigm suitable to all
contexts.
2. This new paradigm of communication development is audience-oriented and
participatory that stressed development for individuals of periphery.
3. Sustainable development that is eco-friendly development.
4. Even though most policy makers or development planners would accept this principle,
sadly enough, this has remained a theoretical benediction rather than an active practice. It
is in a way disheartening to see that only small efforts are yet being made in
communication for sustainable development around the globe.
5. This participatory approach of communication also left us critical questions unanswered.
Who among the people is to be selected for participating in this bottom-up
communication?

SPIRAL OF SILENCE THEORY


By Elisabeth Noelle – Neumann

The model suggest that perceived public opinion can influence individual opinions or actions.

According to this theory, people tend to withhold views contrary to those dominant in the
media in the fear of rejection. When an opnion spreads from media to people, a public opinion
is developed and people are encouraged to proclaim their views but a general behaviour
marked is that the opinion is swallowed until the time the same becomes a prevalent and mass
opinion.

In other words because of people fear of isolation and rejection from those around them, they
tend to keep their attitude to themselves, when they think they are in the minority and those
who feel that their opinions will meet with approval tend to voice them fearlessly.

Thus a spiralling process begins, the dominant side becoming ever louder and more self –
confident while the other side become increasingly silent.

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