Who’s the Boss? Setting the Agenda in a Fragmented Media Environment

Authors

  • Kathleen Searles Assistant Professor of Political Communication Department of Political Science and Manship School of Mass Communication Louisiana State University
  • Glen Smith Associate Professor Department of Political Science & International Affairs University of North Georgia

Keywords:

agenda setting, media choice, partisan media, National Annenberg Election Study

Abstract

Recent work on media choice calls into question the continued influence of traditional news media on the public agenda. We asked whether agenda setting persists either in its traditional form or an alternative form. Coverage of the 2008 American economic collapse provides a unique case as it offers a rare moment of uniform media attention across outlets. We combined a content analysis of news coverage with survey data from the National Annenberg Election Study. Using multivariate time series analysis, we found that the news media respond to issue concerns of viewers and their effects vary by source.

Author Biographies

Kathleen Searles, Assistant Professor of Political Communication Department of Political Science and Manship School of Mass Communication Louisiana State University

Kathleen SearlesAssistant Professor of Political CommunicationDepartment of Political Science and Manship School of Mass CommunicationLouisiana State University240 Stubbs HallBaton Rouge, LA 70803225-578-2142, 225-578-2540 (Fax)ksearles@lsu.edu

Glen Smith, Associate Professor Department of Political Science & International Affairs University of North Georgia

Glen SmithAssociate ProfessorDepartment of Political Science & International AffairsUniversity of North Georgia3820 Mundy Mill Rd.Oakwood, GA 30566509-592-5541glen.smith@ung.edu

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Published

2016-04-15

Issue

Vol. 10 (2016)

Section

Articles

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