Agenda-setting — English definition
The media's power to shape what the public thinks is important simply by choosing what to cover and what to ignore.
Where it is taught
- Public Discourse & Media — Argument & Rhetoric, English 12: Complex Texts, Independent Inquiry & Public Voice, Grade 12
In use
A source can report only true things and still mislead through selection and emphasis — running ten stories about one kind of crime and none about another shapes what its audience fears, an effect called agenda-setting: the media rarely tells you what to think, but it powerfully influences what you think about.
Public Discourse & Media
Questions using agenda-setting
Problem 1
Answer and explanation
Agenda-setting is the media's power to influence what the public thinks is important simply by choosing what to cover and what to ignore. A source can run only true stories and still shape opinion because the pattern of coverage — running ten stories about one kind of threat and none about another — tells the audience what to worry about and what to treat as the real issue. It rarely tells people what to think, but it strongly influences what they think about, which shapes conclusions before any argument is made.