THE AGENDA-SETTING ROLE OF THE MASS MEDIA – Maxwell McCombs

ISSUES AND THE NEWS

THE AGENDA-SETTING ROLE OF THE MASS MEDIA – Maxwell McCombs

“ Newspapers and TV news, even the tightly edited pages of a tabloid newspaper or Internet website, do considerably more than signal the existence of major events and issues.”

“Throughout their day-by-day selection and display of the news, editors and news directors focus our attention and influence our perceptions on what are the most important issues of the day. Their ability to influence the salience of topics on the public agenda has come to be called the agenda setting role of the media.”

I believe that the arguments put forth by McCombs are valid, and that the media does influence what we, the public, believe to be important issues in society. For a large proportion of the population, this is a largely subconscious process, caused by the constant infiltration into the public consciousness of issues that may be of little relevance to their lives. This could explain why mundane issues which receive little media coverage like interest rates, which may be of great importance to the day-to-day running of a household, are held by some to be of less importance than issues that receive greater media attention but are of less relevance, such as the ‘war on terror’. Despite the chances of getting hit by a car being far greater than being the victim of a terrorist attack, the attention that the mainstream media has devoted to covering terrorism related news stories has, especially to those who believe news providers unquestioningly, increased its importance in the minds of many Americans. McCombs states the public has a certain degree of autonomy in determining whether news is actually important, as the media will only “set the agenda where the citizens perceive the news stories as relevant”, or where the public is in need of “orientation”. Whilst these points are justified, for the vast proportion of the public this is an unconscious process that is given no degree of considered or deliberate thought. As journalism scholars, we maintain to be subjective viewers of the news, who understand that the media may be promoting certain issues according to different agendas. However, it would be naïve of us to believe that everyone in society reads news in such a manner. The reality is that many people do not question, attempt or even care to make accountable the providers of our mainstream media. This is not, however, a result of the stupidity of a vast proportion of the viewing public. Rather, it results from, for better or worse, placing faith and trust in the journalists who are providing them with a window to what is going on in their worlds. Thus, it is the responsibility of the news providers, understanding the power and influence that they have, to use such influence ethically and responsibly.