How does media shape the public's agenda of issues?

Mass media can shape the public's agenda of issues in unique ways. The media is what is able to present the facts to the people. The media does not tell the public how to think, but it gives them something to think about. Ethics are often brought up when issues arise. There are conflicts of duty that arise. The duty to self, audience, employer, profession and the society. "The law and ethics don't coincide lockstep, which is a major issue in media ethics" (Vivian 447). There are several different moral principals that a media company can abide by. Moral principles include categorical imperatives, utilitarian ethics, pragmatic ethics, egalitarian ethics and social responsibility ethics. Mass media is responsible for creating a public's agenda of issues but it is difficult when juggling that and sticking to the ethics and moral standards. "Merely to follow prescribed rules with unique, sometimes nuanced subtleties makes for a particular dilemma. No prescriptive code, cast in broad terms as they must be, can replace a good mind and the application of broad, universal principles” (Vivian 463).