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Topic:

Agenda-Setting Theory and Pew Reports about How Americans Get News

Essay Instructions:

Please do in question and answer format for eg: write q. 1: ans…….
Must read those articles: “The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media” “Agenda Setting Theory” and read the two Pew reports about how Americans get the news.
Assignments
One of the Pew Research Center’s studies found that more than 4 in 5 of Americans (86%) get at least some news online. They also found that about half get at least some news from social media. Use of online news media and social media in particular is growing rapidly. These trends have lea a lot of scholars to consider how changes in the kinds of news people are exposed to might change agenda-setting effects. The first set of questions deals with this issue.
1. Please describe briefly where you got your news over the last week or so. Based on the information that you read in the Pew Research Center reports, is your pattern of news use typical or not for someone of your demographic profile? Please explain.
2. Please identify two specific news stories that you were exposed to over the last week or so. Describe what they were (briefly) and the where you saw the story.
3. Do you see systematic difference in the subjects of the news stories you see on different platforms (for example from a television newscast versus a news app versus social media)?
4. Think about the type and range of news that that a person would be exposed to if they got most of their news from social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter. How would their news diet compare to those of a person from the days in which Agenda Setting Theory was originally developed? That is, what would be the same and what would be different in terms of the range of sources they are likely to encounter, the tone of the stories, topics they would see covered, and how those stories were selected?
5. The VoiceThread Presentation on the “Basics of Agenda Setting” presents two explanations for basic agenda-setting effects. One has to do with the “cognitive accessibility” evoked by exposure to particular issues in the news media. This explanation was developed in the early days of the theory, when the only news outlets available were traditional, legacy, sources like Time magazine, network news shows, and local newspapers. If someone were to get their news from social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook, would it be logical to expect the effect to occur if the cognitive accessibility explanation was correct? Explain why or why not.
6. The second explanation of the agenda setting effect that covered in the VoiceThread presentation had to do with the “status-conferral” function of the news media. This explanation was also developed in the early days of the theory. If someone were to get their news from social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook, would it be logical to expect the effect to occur if the status –conferral explanation was correct? Again, explain why or why not.
7. Agenda Setting Theory also pointed out that the theory’s implications for individuals are based on specific assumptions about the nature of the news they were exposed to. Based on what you read in the Pew studies and your own experience, in what situations and for what kinds of audiences do you think these assumptions are most likely to still hold true? In what situations or with what kinds of audiences are they least likely to still hold true?
8. One of the potential outcomes of agenda setting effects for a society or community are thought to be public agendas – a set of issues that many people within a community agree are important. What are some of the potential benefits to the community of having a common public agenda? What are some of the potential problems or liabilities? Do you think the potential dissipation of a common, public agenda it should be considered a problem or a positive development?
9. One of the reasons that most recent studies have still found evidence of agenda setting effects (and most have) is something called intermedia agenda setting. The idea is that different news media outlets set the agenda for each other. That is, different news outlets cover stories that they see in other news outlets, bringing the issues they cover into alignment. This means that audiences are likely to see some of the same topics in the news media, even if they are consuming news from different sources. Think about the different news sources you encountered over the last few days and the topics of the news stories they covered. Is what you see consistent with the principle of intermedia agenda setting? That is, were the story topics similar to each other or different?
10. Think for a moment about all the models and information that you’ve encountered in this unit, including the basic principles of agenda setting theory, possible causes of agenda setting theory, the principles and data about how news media and audience consumption patterns are changing, the concept and evidence regarding intermediate agenda setting. Taking all this into account, do you think the role the news media plays in shaping individuals’ and communities’ beliefs about what is important is changing? Why or why not? If you do think a change is coming, what kind of change will it be? Make sure to explain your answer.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Mass Communication
Student’s Name
Institution
Mass Communication
Question 1
I have been getting my news from digital devices and, more specifically, from my smartphone. I like using my smartphone because of its convenience and accessibility. Based on the Pew Research Center reports, I would say that my pattern of news consumption is typical for someone of my demographic profile. As an adult below 50 years, I often get my news from a digital device. The Pew Research Center (2021) report shows that most adults aged between 18 and 49 years get their news from digital devices, while those aged over 50 years get their news from television most of the time. I also can not remember the last time I read news on print media, which is in line with the report indicating that less than 4% of young Americans access their news from print media. However, I rely more on search engines than on other methods. I search for specific news on Google. I might differ with people from my demographic profile in this specific area because the Pew Research Center (2021) report indicates that people in my age group get their news from social media than from news websites and search engines.
Question 2
Over the last week or so, the two most significant stories I was exposed to were the humanitarian crisis in two countries, one in Asia and one in Africa. The first news story was about the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan. Specifically, the story summarized what has been happening in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the government. In addition, the story outlined major events that had taken place since August 15, when the Taliban took over Kabul (Reuters, 2021). I saw the story on Reuters after I searched for Afghanistan news updates. The second story was also on Reuters as a result of a specific search for Ethiopia’s food crisis on Google. The news story reports about the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia after the war that started ten months ago. According to the story, the United Nations has been having difficulties providing aid and relief to the people of Ethiopia because of a blockade from one of the parties in the war (Reuters, 2021). The blockade prevents access to humanitarian assistance, including food, for about 90% of the Ethiopian population. I have been specifically searching for news stories about these two countries to understand the causes of war.
Question 3
Whether on traditional media or social media, the topics of the news stories are always similar, which is in line with the agenda-setting theory. However, I see systematic differences in the subject of the news stories on digital versus traditional media. For instance, I find that subjects in traditional media are given more attention so that the news stories are more detailed and have more breadth than news stories on social media. Quite often, when I come across a news story on social media, it is more likely that it has already been reported on television. Also, because of the nature of social media, where people comment and share stories with other users, I feel that subjects of the news stories have a more lingering effect on social media than on television. Once a story has been shared on social media, it can be re-shared with so many other peop...
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