ABSTRACT
The agenda-setting function of the news media has traditionally examined the process in which the issues that receive the most news coverage become the issues that the public perceives as most important. This same process applies to news coverage of countries. Countries that receive extensive media coverage become countries that the public perceives are highly important to the United States. Studies have also found support for an affective attribute agenda-setting. The more negative coverage a country receives, the more the public perceives the country as being negative. These findings hold added significance because of the ever-increasing importance of international news.
