Mass media plays a key role in shaping the publics agenda of issues. Depending on what stories a news program talks about most, those stories will be wider known by the public and therefore they will be more likely to take action on those rather than the issues that are briefly mentioned or not at all. The way the mass media portrays a topic may also affect the way the public takes initiative on it. If the program, or even a print source, movie etc. makes a certain topic sound urgent, then the public will obviously take note on that and realize that something has to be done.
The publics agenda of issues is also shaped by the types of media that they perceive. For instance, if you watch more news programs such as the NBC Nightly News or MSNBC then you will probably be more keen on the stories surrounding politics and our government because those are the topics the cover the most. But if you watch a program such as the Sunday Morning News, then you will have a much wider variety and a broader knowledge on topics that may range from politics to sports. Depending on what types of programs you watch or what form of mass media you view plays a key role in distinguishing the publics agenda on issues.
No comments:
Post a Comment