The agenda-setting function of mass media has largely been influenced by news coverage and the public’s view about the significance and the truthfulness of the stories covered by mass media. Some theorists have stated that news editors and anchors have a significant impact on determining the public’s views of social reality. Mass media has a huge influence on how people think and their perception of what they are reading or listening to . One of the major influences that the agenda-setting function of mass media has had on shaping public perceptions is presidential elections, Just like the one we recently had a couple months ago.. Based on the findings of a research, there is a vital correlation between media coverage and the public’s opinion regarding the importance of a political issue. This has resulted in the development of the concept political advertising in the recent past, particularly on negative political advertising that has increased in the past few decades. However, negative political advertisements have not always been accepted in a positive light since the process of voter absorption of information from negative ads is more difficult than anticipated.
Agenda-Setting Function and the 2012Presidential Election
The powerful influence of mass media on some political situations was evident in the 2012 presidential elections in the United States. New stories about politicians and the country’s citizens largely impacted the public view on politicians and public discourse. During the presidential campaign the agenda-setting function of mass media was evident through various measures such as the concept of a powerful US media. The ability of this function of mass media was demonstrated in several ways including gradual popularity of Barack Obama, our first African-American president, who was a relatively unpopular politician from 2002-2006. Secondly, because of the extensive media coverage, the