In this weeks lecture, we discussed theories related to Public Relations. Most of these are theories that we have all heard before, some probably more than others. Doing a major in both PR and Journalism, agenda setting is an idea that has always interested me, as it influences both of these fields significantly.
As stated in the text,
"Agenda setting indicates that, although the news media do not tell you what to think, they do strongly influence what you think about."
I don't know about you, but I find this concept fascinating.
It makes sense that public relations practitioners use agendas setting to establish positive, prominent attention in the news and media for their clients. When phrased like this, agenda setting does not seem, as it often does, as a form of propaganda. The same applies to "playing down," or in some cases oppressing negative stories of the client to achieve the same effect. It seems that agenda setting can be interpreted in two completely different ways, and it is in the viewers interpretation of the practitioner's use of the tool the ultimately shapes the opinion of the subject in question.
Agenda setting does indeed, as stated in the text, draw attention to the relationship between the news media and public relations practice. But what sort of relationship is this?
What do you think??????
This week, I posted a comment on Kellie O'Sullivan's blog. I would definitely recommend reading the blog entries on Kellie's page.
http://cmns1290kellieosullivan.blogspot.com
1 comment:
I agree that I find the concept of agenda setting interesting. You make a good point about using agenda setting to "play down" negatives stories, such as a contamination scare for a certain food manufacturer.
I didn't quite understand the link between agenda setting and propaganda, but when I discussed this with the author she informed me it was from a journalism text. It might be worth referring to this text in your blog so readers can understand your perspective.
I agree with you that agenda setting is a 'viewer's interpretation' because, for example, a newspaper's headline could have a different meaning from one person's to another.
I liked that you ended your blog with a question, encouraging people to comment on your thoughts and theories.
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