The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media – McCombs & Shaw

Details

Photo

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Name

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Year

1972

Type

Journal article

Core idea

News doesn’t tell us what to think, but it powerfully shapes what we think about by spotlighting certain issues.

How I use it

In news or platform studies, this is my go-to for explaining why “what trends” matters even when nobody believes the headline.

My take

If this paper were a TV character, it’d be the quietly competent sidekick who’s in every episode, even when the plot is allegedly about something else.