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Essay Questions
10th Edition

A self-help tool to aid in the study of the First Look text (started with the 9th Edition)

List mode: Normal (click on theory name to show detail) | Show All details | Clear details

Chapter 30Agenda-Setting Theory

  1. Both agenda-setting theory and cultivation theory address how the media shapes the beliefs of viewers and users. Compare and contrast these theories in terms of their foci, their research methods, and basic assumptions. With the six criteria for a good objective theory in mind, which do you think is the superior theory?
     
  2. Throughout the chapter, Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks refer to examples of presidential elections from the 1960s on. Consider the most recent U.S. presidential election. What do you remember about how the media framed each of the major candidates? Identify at least two different frames that could be adopted for each candidate.
     
  3. In response to the question, “Who sets the agenda for the agenda-setters?”, the chapter suggests several answers: gatekeepers, interest aggregations, powerful political figures, and public relations specialists. Which of these do you think wields the strongest agenda-setting power? What factors might alter that power balance?
     
  4. The Althaus and Tewksbury study provided evidence that online news possesses less agenda-setting power than traditional print sources. However, this remains a controversial question, especially as technology improves and becomes more powerful. As an intellectual exercise, craft an argument for why the media may possess even greater agenda-setting power with the technology we have available today.
     
  5. Find a copy of the most recent edition of your school’s newspaper or news website. What issues are emphasized? What issues are deemphasized? What issues do not appear at all? Why?


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Essay Questions
10th Edition

A self-help tool to aid in the study of the First Look text (started with the 9th Edition)

List mode: Normal (click on theory name to show detail) | Show All details | Clear details

Chapter 30Agenda-Setting Theory

  1. Both agenda-setting theory and cultivation theory address how the media shapes the beliefs of viewers and users. Compare and contrast these theories in terms of their foci, their research methods, and basic assumptions. With the six criteria for a good objective theory in mind, which do you think is the superior theory?
     
  2. Throughout the chapter, Griffin, Ledbetter, and Sparks refer to examples of presidential elections from the 1960s on. Consider the most recent U.S. presidential election. What do you remember about how the media framed each of the major candidates? Identify at least two different frames that could be adopted for each candidate.
     
  3. In response to the question, “Who sets the agenda for the agenda-setters?”, the chapter suggests several answers: gatekeepers, interest aggregations, powerful political figures, and public relations specialists. Which of these do you think wields the strongest agenda-setting power? What factors might alter that power balance?
     
  4. The Althaus and Tewksbury study provided evidence that online news possesses less agenda-setting power than traditional print sources. However, this remains a controversial question, especially as technology improves and becomes more powerful. As an intellectual exercise, craft an argument for why the media may possess even greater agenda-setting power with the technology we have available today.
     
  5. Find a copy of the most recent edition of your school’s newspaper or news website. What issues are emphasized? What issues are deemphasized? What issues do not appear at all? Why?


You can access the Essay Questions for a particular chapter in several ways:

  • Switch to View by Theory, then select the desired theory/chapter from the drop-down list at the top of the page. Look in the list of available resources.
  • To quickly find a theory by chapter number, use the Table of Contents and link from there. It will take you directly to the theory with available options highlighted.
  • You can also use the Theory List, which will take you directly to the theory with available options highlighted.

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