Agenda-Setting

What is Agenda-Setting?

Agenda-setting refers to the ability of media and communicators to influence, through the selection and emphasis of certain topics, what the public thinks about. It is not what is thought that is steered, but which topics are considered important.

Agenda-Setting in Detail

The term goes back to the communication scientists Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw, who demonstrated it empirically using the 1968 US presidential election (the “Chapel Hill Study,” published in 1972). They showed a strong connection between the weighting of topics in the media and what the population considered important. Two levels are distinguished: first-level agenda-setting determines which topics are reported on; second-level agenda-setting shapes the angle (attribute, tonality) under which a topic appears. In applied corporate and media communication, agenda-setting additionally describes the active, strategic placing of your own topics and messages – for example in an interview or in public relations.

In practice, agenda-setting rarely works alone, but in interplay with framing and priming: first the selection, then the framing and the mental pre-activation of a topic unfold the full effect. For your own communication work, this means offering a topic not just once but repeating it consistently across several occasions, formats, and speakers. Also important is compatibility with news value: only topics with recognizable relevance, timeliness, or conflict content are taken up by editorial teams. Those who understand this mechanism can set their own priorities deliberately instead of merely chasing the media's topic cycles.

How does Agenda-Setting work?

The effect arises through three levers: frequency (repeated mention), prominence (a striking placement, e.g. as the lead story), and consistency (the same key message across several channels). Those who use questions in a media appearance to consistently steer toward their own topic are practicing active agenda-setting.

Agenda-Setting – Examples in Practice

A company spokesperson steers every answer in a TV interview back to the central sustainability message. A PR department places a specialist topic on the media agenda through coordinated press releases, studies, and soundbites. An executive deliberately puts a single future topic at the center of a keynote.

Agenda-Setting: Key Features at a Glance

• First level: selection of topics (what is important?)
• Second level: framing of the attributes (how is it evaluated?)
• Benefit: strengthens visibility and interpretive authority
• Prerequisite: a clear key message and repetition

Related Terms

• Topic Placement
• Message Placement
• Key Message
• News Value
• Media Relations

Would you like to place your topics confidently in media appearances? We support you with our Media Training Professional.

Agenda-Setting: Frequently Asked Questions

Who developed agenda-setting theory?

The theory goes back to Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw, who examined it in 1968 in the “Chapel Hill Study” and published it in 1972.

What is the difference between agenda-setting and framing?

Agenda-setting determines which topics receive attention. Framing determines the interpretive frame in which a topic is perceived. The two often work together.

How do I use agenda-setting in an interview?

By using questions as a bridge to your own key message (bridging) and repeating your key topic several times, concisely and consistently.

What does second-level agenda-setting mean?

It describes the transfer of attributes: not only that a topic is reported on, but with which characteristics and tonality – and thus how the audience evaluates it.