Happy things/Agenda setting

Contrary to popular belief, I actually thoroughly enjoy learning heaps of theory, especially when it comes to Journalism. Although I'm a third-year and I should be over this stuff already, nothing gets me happier than colour co-ordinating lecture notes. I'm afraid I fell behind in Journalism, even though I wrote up a few bits of prose I want to publish on here. Before I go on to discuss the lecture, I just want to say that I'm going to keep this blog and will transform it a little. I'm doing three languages and I really want to showcase my ability to speak/write in them. So half of this blog will be in Spanish after the Journalism course is finished. It's something I'm really excited about, and I just wanted to share it. Here are a couple of things that are making me happy today:

My favourite book, my favourite director, and Leo:
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/thegreatgatsby/

Cake, always amazing, even more amazing when it's RAINBOW CAKE

I can only presume my caffeine addiction will worsen during Swotvac...

One of my favourite movies. Let the world change you, and you can change the world. 

AGENDA SETTING


What is it? The idea that the individual conception of reality is socially constructed through a process of communication. We understand reality through social life The media plays a large role in constructing the social world.

Simply put, the more coverage an issue receives, the more important it is to its people. - Coleman, McCombs, Shaw & Weaver. 

1) Public agenda (what the public thinks is important)
2) Policy agenda (reflecting issues decision makers deem important)
3) Corporate agenda (issues important to big businesses and corporations)
4) Media agenda - the issues that are discussed in the media.

2 BASIC ASSUMPTIONS: 
1) The mass media do not merely reflect and report reality, they filter and shape it.
2) Media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to believe they are more important than others.

Where did it come from?
Originated in 1968, Chapel Hill, NC: Maxwell Combs and Donald Shaw surveyed 100 undecided voters regarding the political campaign & measured it against media content.
- The mass media set the agenda by emphasizing specific topics. The mass media has an effect on public opinion.

Walter Lippman: The mass media creates images of events in our minds. This really rang true for me. Aside from obvious examples like photos from the Vietnam War and 9/11, one image I have never gotten out of my head is that of the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, with smoke rising from the top during the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008. I was waiting on CNN for more reports, as my brother was in Mumbai at the time and I didn't have any means of knowing what was going on, all I knew and remembered was that image.

Finally, six different areas of agenda setting:
1) Media gatekeeping: the exposure of an issue and what the media chooses to reveal
2) Media advocacy: promoting a message through the media
3) Agenda cutting: Backseating issues to put forward more popular ones, even though the former may be more important. The example that was used was AIDS being backseated for Justin Beiber's haircut - it's scary how many people know what style the Beibs is fronting nowadays. I didn't even realize he cut the curtains off. AIDS is a preferable topic. I still cannot fathom why people can have such an in-depth knowledge of other peoples lives and celebrity facts but can't use proper English. Sigh.
4) Agenda surfing: The media uses crowds and trends : KONY KONY KONY KONY KONY. Just saying.
5) Diffusion of news: process through which an important event is communicated to the public. The example was of Obama delivering the "Osama is dead" speech. Depressingly enough, even though I am a proud American and an aspiring Journalist...I found out about that through Facebook. So shameful!
6) Portrayal of an issue: different aspects, depends on what agenda. The way an issue is portrayed will influence how it is perceived.
7) Media dependence: The more media dependant  a person is on the media for information, the more likely it is for them to accept media agenda setting.