Media Framing and Agenda Setting: Impact on Shaping Public Perceptions

This essay delves into the critical role of media framing in mass communication, examining its connection to agenda setting and its impact on public perception. It discusses how media frames shape the presentation of news and influence audience interpretations, highlighting the shift from agenda setting to framing theory. The reflection explores the influence of various factors, such as journalist bias, on media framing and its potential to mislead the public. Examples like the #metoo and Time's Up movements, and the Iraq War coverage, are used to illustrate the power of media framing in shaping public discourse. The essay concludes by suggesting future research to analyze the real-world impact of media framing using empirical data, with Desklib providing access to similar essays and study resources for students.

Media Framing

Table of Contents
Literature review........................................................................................................................3
Critical reflection.......................................................................................................................4
Research scope...........................................................................................................................6
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................8

Literature review
In the field of mass media agenda setting and framing plays a very important role. Framing is
considered to be an extended version of agenda setting. Agenda setting in simple words can
be understood as the agenda that has been set by the media agencies for the public opinion
that revolves around certain key issue. The agenda setting theory states that the level of
importance of an issue is decided by the rate at which the media is covering that particular
issue. Hence, it is believed that what the people are thinking is a by-product of media. In the
modern world of media the framing theory is taking over the agenda setting theory. Framing
theory revolves around shaping the content of media, in which the media decides on
representing a certain issue on the basis of the frame analysis. Like for example, instead of
writing as “the less you smoke, the easier it will be to quit” the media decides to convey this
message as “the more you smoke, the harder it will be to quit”. Hence, it can be said that the
media chooses the way to represent the same message in their own way and this is called as
frames in the field of media. The article has established a link between the frames in news
production and frames in news consumption. At the time of constructing social reality it is
important that the media analyse the issue and then frame it as different issues are interpreted
in different ways by the media and the public. This is so because frames have the ability to
influence the reactions of the public after receiving the news. It has been stated that frames
should be developed on individual basis and not as a connection to the culture as frames are
present everywhere and are institutionalized by everyone in different manner. The frame
works on the basis of the cognitive process used by the media as well as the individual. The
frame package results in the development of number of logical conclusions on the basis of
their cognitive ability (Gorp, 2007). According to Dietram, framing is different from agenda
setting as it is based on the characterization of news in a manner that can influence the
conclusions of audiences. He has argued that the choices of individual are influenced by the

content that is being showed to them. The author has further classified framing in macro
construct and micro construct. In macro construct framing is considered as the mode of
presentation that is being adopted by the media in order to reach their audiences. This means
that the journalists use the mode in order to reduce the complexities related to a certain topic
or issue. Micro construct defines framing from the point of view of audiences that how they
use the information provided to them in order to form impressions related to a specific issue.
The author has concluded that frame building and agenda building focuses on the message
construction and not on media effects. The author has stated that in agenda setting the media
can ensure that whether the audience is thinking about the issue whereas, on the other hand
framing theory ensures that how the issue is being interpreted by the audiences (Scheufele &
Tewksbury, 2007). The #metoo is one such frame that influenced people to think about
women empowerment by focusing on the issues of abuse and other issues being faced by
women in the society. Another such media frame is Time’s Up that influenced the people to
concentrate on the issue of gender inequality and sexual misconduct being faced by people in
the society. These two frames brought a significant shift in the national conversation and
gave a direction to the peoples thought and attention towards the social issues prevalent in the
society (Hostler & O’Neil, 2018).
Critical reflection
Media framing plays a very important role in the field of mass media. Agenda setting and
framing are an integral part of media that uses the cognitive ability in news production as
well as news consumption. With the help of this article I was able to explore a different
aspect of mass media and how it leaves a strong impact on the audiences and influences their
perception. On the basis of the study of these articles I can infer that media framing in simple
words can be understood as the perspective through which a story is told. How a story is

framed depends upon the journalist, and the person speaking the news (Charles, 2018).
Agenda setting is also an integral part of media framing but, agenda setting is majorly related
to what a newspaper is going to cover or will not cover. Framing and agenda setting are same
on the basis of cognitive ability but both are different in its implementation (Reese et al.,
2001). Frames are developed on the basis of various issues being analysed. Hence, it is
believed that media framing plays a very pivotal role in influencing the issues being
discussed depending upon the media frame. Media framing is influenced by many factors like
the race of the journalist, the gender of journalist, the audiences being targeted, etc. Hence, it
is believed that the construction of the news is very important in media framing on the basis
of this it can be identified that how media is influencing people (Critical Media Review,
2015). I agree with the fact that mentioned by the author that framing theory is taking over
the agenda theory. As now the journalists focus on a specific event and then tries to give
meaning to it with the help of frames and frame packages developed by them. Framing uses
the psychological and sociological aspect in order to influence the perception of the
audiences and to make them believe in the reality being showcased by the journalists. I
believe that the main reason that why the media framing is important is that it has the ability
to influence the reasoning ability of the people, as people depicts what they see and hence, at
times it may be misleading. The news at times are misleading because of the biasness being
practiced by the journalist and the news channels. In my opinion I believe that the
consequences of this are to be suffered by the common people. Media is a field from which
the audience expects to reveal reality and wants to know the truth as they believe on the news
that is being showed to them (Entman, 2010). This statement has also been supported by
Thomas and others in their article that discusses about the influencing power that media has
on people and how they shape the political decisions of the common people with the help of
media framing. The authors have discussed that how the information being provided by the

news channels related to an issue acts as a learning model to the viewers and a perception is
developed in the mind of the viewers about that specific issue. The coverage of the issue
influences the thoughts of the audiences and as a result the cognitive accessibility model is
used by the viewers in order to process the information being showed by the media (Nelson et
al., 2010). Jorg in his article has supported the author of the article by stating that media
framing is conceptualized and coded on the basis of types of frames, as well as the methods
and theories of analysing the frames. The types of frames are identified as issue specific or
generic. Generic frames can be applied on any issues but issue specific frames revolves
around specific issues only. The theory is used at the time of deciding over the content that
needs to be reflected in the frames. The method of frame analysis helps in determining that
whether the analysis needs to be conducted on number basis or text basis. Apart from this it
helps in deciding that the frame needs to determine on deductive basis or inductive basis, also
the coding of framing should be manual or computerized (Matthes, 2009). In order to prove
the influence of media framing one of the best examples that can be sighted is of the Iraq war.
At the time of Iraq war the news channels of both the countries that is USA and Iraq showed
the same news from different perspectives. On the basis of the research conducted by Daniela
it has been found that the tone of the coverage of the war by the news channels differed in
both the countries. Hence, this proves that the media framing has great potential to portrait
anything in front of the audiences and influence them with their capabilities (Dimitrova &
Stromback, 2005).
Research scope
On the basis of the articles, the concept of framing and agenda setting is clearly understood.
Also, the impact of these theories on shaping the perceptions and viewpoints of audiences has
been studied. But, I believe that these studies has left scope for conducting future research

that will help in analyzing these theories and how they shape the perceptions of the audiences
in real world. A research should be conducted to know the impact of media framing in real
world by using real world statistics. This will help in developing a strong connection with the
topic being studied.
References
Charles, M.P., 2018. A Critical analysis of Media Framing and Audience Framing:
Comparing the “Media”and “Audience” Agenda in the 2015 General election in Tanzania.
International Journal of Innovative Resaerch and Development, 7(1).
Critical Media Review, 2015. What is Media Framing? [Online] Available at:
https://criticalmediareview.wordpress.com/2015/10/19/what-is-media-framing/ [Accessed 13
September 2018].
Dimitrova, D.V. & Stromback, J., 2005. Mission Accomplished? Framing of the Iraq War in
the Elite Newspapers in Sweden and the United States. International Communication
Gazette, 67, pp.399–417.
Entman, R.M., 2010. Media framing biases and political power: Explaining slant in news of
Campaign 2008. Journalism, 11(4), pp.389-408.
Gorp, B.V., 2007. The Constructionist Approach to Framing: Bringing Culture Back In.
Journal of Communication, 57, pp.60–78.
Hostler, M.J. & O’Neil, M., 2018. Reframing Sexual Violence: From #MeToo to Time’s Up.
[Online] Available at:
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/reframing_sexual_violence_from_metoo_to_times_up
[Accessed 2018].
Matthes, J., 2009. What's in a Frame? A Content Analysis of Media Framing Studies in the
World's Leading Communication Journals, 1990-2005. Journalism & Mass Communication
Quarterly, 86(2), pp.349-67.
Nelson, T.E., Clawson, R.A. & Oxley, Z.M., 2010. Media Framing of a Civil Liberties
Conflict and Its Effect on Tolerance. American Political Science Review, 91(3), pp.567-83.
Reese, S.D., Gandy, O.H. & Jr., A.E.G., 2001. Framing Public Life: Perspectives on Media
and Our Understanding of the Social World. Routledge.
Scheufele, D.A. & Tewksbury, D., 2007. Framing, Agenda Setting, and Priming: The
Evolution of Three Media Effects Models. Journal of Communication, 57, pp. 9–20.