Agenda Setting, Elections, and the Impact of Information Technology

The proliferation of available news sources has raised questions about whether or not traditional news organizations still have a consistent agenda-setting effect on the public, especially on the Internet where audiences tend to be more fragmented (Takeshita, 2005). Additionally, innovations in online interactivity and information delivery have resulted in a growing interest in the roles of the public, policymakers, and other sources in the process of building and contributing to the media agenda (Denham, 2010; Meraz, Chapter 1, this volume; Ragas, Chapter 12, this volume; Roberts, Wanta, & Dzwo, 2002).