agenda setters

[weezy1979]

hi , i am doing a presentation in uni on democratic functions of the media . I was wondering if any of you smart people would know what an agenda setters role is in politics and the media ? Thanks in advance

[jake-the-peg]

Go to the News topic and look at what they're all talking about there.

Why are they talking about these particular things (probably troop withdrawral from Iraq, Crime figures immigration etc.)?

Chances are it's because the media and in particular the tabloids have been running big stories on it.

This is setting the agenda - they concentrate on particular issues, sometimes for a long time, sometimes for only a day.

People get worked up, questions are asked in Government and the whole little merry-go-round continues.

This is the way that the media exercises power.

A furter example - there has recently been a big EU funding push for science and innovation and the UK is likely to do very well out of it. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6337273.st m

Few people heard this story because most of the papers have an agenda that is anti-EU.

Any story showing the EU in a bad light is promoted, any that show it in a good light is dropped in prominance or dropped completely.

The US media have a similar position regarding the UN.