ABSTRACT
Research on political agenda setting has long been a contentious issue in communication studies. However, in recent years, researchers have attempted to determine whether the (traditional) mass media or the politicians come first in creating such agendas. The conflicting results (Walgrave & Van Aelst, 2006) obtained from the studies suggest that political actors and the media (Davis, 2007; Vliegenthart et al., 2016) influence each other mutually. Broadly speaking, the ways politicians react to mass media discourses can be explained by several factors, including the novelty or negativity of the topics being addressed and the international nature of the coverage (Vliegenthart et al., 2016; Walgrave, Soroka, & Nuytemans, 2008). Accordingly, it is logical to conclude that mass media have a powerful impact on political debates, especially on agendas for action proposed by Members of Parliaments (MPs), which are privileged discursive constructions particularly relevant during violent conflicts.
