EOTO #2 - Agenda Setting
Agenda-setting theory explores how news outlets have control over the information absorbed by society. It's crazy when you think about it, one organization has the potential to control the masses? Does it make you re-think if there should be any stipulations to the first amendment? Well, strap in and get ready for launch. My name is Alexa and we're about to blast into agenda-setting theory.
It's so interesting to think about how society seems to be given the "choice" as to what news station one channels into. FOX, NBC, ABC, we have endless possibilities it seems. But, if you pay close attention, you can begin to pick up on the fact that news media outlets select which stories they report on. Certain topics get blown up, discussed in depth, creates tensions on social media, and difficult conversations to have with society. Others, seemingly as important, get swept under the rug. Because of this, it is clear that the media has complete control over the information provided to everyday members of society and the stories that they're supposed to care about.
The main two notions that comprise this theory include, the more a story is reported on in the media, the more prevalent and urgent the public will think it is. The second is that the news channels are not just a flow of information coming our way, the information we hear on air is edited and trimmed, certain jargon is selected to evoke a particular emotion, and information can be added or taken away to a story to make sure the proper "tone" is communicated. Sometimes in my free time, or with issues that resonate personally to me, I go beyond just basic news sources. I'll read the information put out by FOX and CNN and note any similarities or drastic differences but I'll also use outlets such as the Associated Press (got one of my articles on agenda setting from there!), Wall Street Journal, and BBC. BBC is really helpful for me to stay up to date on world news, not just things going on in our nation. There is another source that I read sometimes that is called Reuters, I like it because I feel like it reports on these issues that I mentioned earlier, the ones that tend to get swept under the rug by mainstream news outlets.
Overall, agenda setting is pretty unavoidable, as long as you're tuning in to news being projected whether it's on TV, social media, or the internet. I think it's okay for people to have their opinions and their stances but I also feel that it's very important for people to educate themselves fully, not solely based off of what these channels report. Prior to this assignment, I knew that agenda-setting was a thing, however I didn't know the exact word for it, so now it's great to have the term! I think more and more people need to be aware of this theory so that they could feel inclined to educate themselves from outside sources, as well!
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