Agenda-Setting Theory

It is the approach explaining the media’s power to dictate to people not what to think, but what to think about.

An event appearing in headlines for days creates the perception that the event is the most important problem for the society. The media draws the boundaries of public discussion by deciding which news to highlight and which to ignore. The reader tends to see the topics heavily covered by the media as the main issues of the country.

Example: Despite a statistically low crime rate, the creation of a widespread feeling of insecurity in society by the media constantly reporting public order news.

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Agenda-setting theory argues that the guiding effect of the media shapes priorities rather than directly changing opinions. When a topic finds wide coverage in news feeds, politicians and decision-makers also have to address that topic. Although this mechanism has partially shifted to algorithms and social media trends in the digital age, which headlines mainstream publishers highlight is still the main factor in guiding mass perception. A topic not being on the agenda does not mean that the topic is unimportant or resolved; it only shows that it could not cross the media’s attention threshold.