Agenda-setting theory
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According to the agenda-setting theory, propounded by Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw in the 1970s, media set the agenda for public opinion by highlighting certain issues. Studying the way political campagings were convered in the media, Shaw and McCombs found the main effect of media to be agenda-setting, telling people not what to think, but what to think of.
- Gatekeeping -- Control over the selection of content exercised by media
- Priming -- Giving more importance to some content over other content
- Framing -- Presenting content in a way as to guide its interpretation along certain forced lines
International Agenda Setting Conference
Every year, academics from the areas of communication science, media analysis and related fields of study to openly discuss the impact of media on public opinion with politicians, executives and journalists. The conference is organized by Media Tenor Institute, and aims to advance the practical application of media studies to solve communicative challenges in business, politics and society.
During the Agenda Setting Conference, participants meet in small groups of no more than twenty for workshops to discuss developments in their respective fields of work and to exchange ideas in an informal setting. The conference has been known as an incubator for new projects and collaborations between organizations and individuals.
The next conference will take place from Lugano 26-28 in Bonn, Germany.