The media telling people what to think about Agenda Setting The media telling people what to think about

We only see reflections of reality in the news media Various “cues” assist the audience in prioritizing the issues selected for our attention.

The amount of attention given to an issue in the media affects the level of importance assigned to that issue by the public."

Print: Newspapers/Web pages Page/position of the story Size of the headline Length of the story Pictures used

Television News Position in the newscast Length of the story/report Reporter assigned to cover the piece Visual pictures/graphics used Facial expressions/body language of reporter

Framing The media frame stories by selecting certain aspects of reality (based on salience) while obscuring other elements, which might lead audiences to have different reactions.

Acapulco Typology Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Compares the news coverage for a set of major issues to the aggregate public agenda (nation’s opinion) Type 2 Examines the media agenda (issues) in relation to the individual (observe individual opinion) Type 3 Examines the media coverage of a single issue & its trend in public opinion over a period of time Type 4 Examines media coverage of a single issue and the salience of that issue on an individual before & after coverage

Journalist Seek the truth and provide a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues

Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death Television's inherent “bias” is a tendency to render its content, even important news reports, more entertaining than they would be otherwise, and consequently less serious, less rational, less relevant, and less coherent.

“Disinformation” Instead of useful & important information, viewers see impotent but entertaining trivia, which isn't false, but misleading, creating the illusion of knowing and undermining one's motivation to learn more.