COM 102: Study Notes on Agenda Setting and Framing

Lecture Overview

  • Focus of the lecture is on Agenda Setting and Framing in communication studies.

Lecture Road Map

  • Agenda Setting

  • Class Activity

  • Framing

Announcements

  • Exam 1 scheduled for next Wednesday in class.

  • Students with extra time should check their email regarding alternative testing locations from their GSI.

  • Reminder to bring a #2 pencil for the exam.

Food for Thought

  • Important societal question: How do we recognize what topics matter most in public consciousness?

Agenda Setting

  • Definition: "The press may not be successful much of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about."

Two Perspectives on Agenda Setting

  1. Issue Importance

    • Transfer of issue salience from media to the audience.

    • Media focuses on selected issues for public sharing, which influences audience perception of these issues' importance.

    • Intensity of issue coverage plays a crucial role.

  2. Media Priming

    • Increased news coverage on specific issues (e.g., unemployment) primes the public to think of those issues during evaluations.

    • Example: A president's overall evaluation may be shaped by the public's perception of their handling of unemployment due to media coverage.

    • Salience is heightened, making previously unconsidered issues more prominent in cognitive evaluations.

    • Media Priming functions outside of media as well.

Summary:

  • Issue Importance: News coverage elevates the salience of certain issues, leading to more accessible issues coming to mind first when evaluations are made.

  • Media Priming: Beyond just making issues cognitively accessible, public perception may shift to regard only covered issues as important, which is an automatic and unconscious process.

Issue Obtrusiveness

  • Definition: Degree to which individuals experience an issue firsthand.

  • The more obtrusive an issue is, the smaller the agenda-setting effect will be, indicating that personal experience diminishes media influence.

Issue Obtrusiveness Example:

  • Rising cost of college housing at the University of Michigan (UM).

  • Rising national cost of buying houses.

Agenda Building

  • Definition: The process of developing the news/media agenda.

  • Politicians and stakeholders can influence the media agenda through issue management strategies.

Intermedia Agenda-Building

  • News media organizations collaboratively influence the issues that other outlets cover.

  • Examples of media sources:

    • Detroit Free Press

    • Michigan Daily

    • Ann Arbor Independent

    • USA Today

Comparison: Agenda Setting vs. Framing

  • Agenda Setting: Analyzes how much an issue is covered.

  • Framing: Examines how an issue is depicted when it is covered.

Framing

  • Definition: The way messages shape audience interpretation of an issue or event depicted in media coverage.

  • Media coverage significantly influences audience interpretations and responses to issues.

Example Issue: Maternal Healthcare

Individual Frames

  • Consideration of which aspects of the issue become prominent in individual thoughts (e.g., maternal-fetal mortality vs. healthcare access).

Media Frames

  • Focus on which aspects of the issue are emphasized or omitted in media coverage (e.g., local Michigan access versus nationwide access).

Topic Framing

  • How an issue, like Maternal Healthcare, can be structured in media:

    • Access to care

    • Maternal mortality and morbidity

    • Reproductive and pregnancy complications

    • Mental health issues

    • Socioeconomic and structural factors

    • Policy considerations

    • Bias and equity discussions

Frame Types:

  1. Episodic Frames: Focus on specific instances of an event (e.g., interviewing an expectant mother who struggles to access healthcare).

  2. Thematic Frames: Take a broader societal perspective on events (e.g., discussing statistical trends in maternal healthcare coverage).

Class Discussion Prompt

  • What are the top five important issues facing society today? Discuss with your table.

Survey of Public Issues

  • Inquiry about the most important problem facing the country today with a focus on economic and non-economic problems.

Economic Problems (Percentage Trends in Recent Surveys):

  • Economy (General): Dec-35%, Nov-30%, Oct-24%…

  • High Cost of Living/Inflation: Dec-11%, Nov-9%…

  • Unemployment/Jobs: 3%…

Non-Economic Problems (Percentage Trends in Recent Surveys):

  • Government Leadership: Dec-26%, Nov-27%, Oct-28%…

  • Immigration and Crime Rates also discussed with varying percentages over the months.

Next Steps:

  • Investigate coverage of current issues by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Fox News; compare these with your class discussions.

  • Examine social media platforms like Tik Tok and Reels for coverage on an issue, analyzing how they differ from traditional media coverage and their impact on agenda-setting and framing effects.

Attendance Activity

  • Write responses in the Canvas learning management system and submit.

Intersection of News, Agenda Setting, and Influencer/User-Generated Content

  • Demonstrated examples of how influencers shape public narratives.

  • Discussion on how DNC courted influencers for political advantage.

  • Note: Campaigns may fund influencers for promoting political ideologies discreetly.

Assignment Due Dates

  • Framing Assignment Due on 3/13:

    • Identify frames in two written articles.

    • Create personal frames utilizing headlines and photos.

    • Complete a reflection prompt discussing the assignment.