ABSTRACT
More than two decades have passed since the original agenda-setting hypothesis was stated by McCombs and Shaw (1972), and scholars have published more than 200 articles weaving agenda-setting research into a rich theory (Rogers, Dearing, & Bregman, 1993). Over these years this research has detailed the patterns in the transfer of issue salience from the media to the public, the contingent conditions for agenda setting, and influences on the media agenda. The underlying assumption for all three areas is that what is covered in the media affects what the public thinks about.
