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One concept, many interpretations: the media’s causal roles in political agenda-setting processes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 April 2017

Julie Sevenans
Julie Sevenans*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
*
*E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

While political agenda-setting scholars agree that the news media matter when it comes to agenda setting, surprisingly, there is no consensus on the exact role these media play in the agenda-setting process. In particular, causal interpretations of the media’s role are diverse. This contribution focuses on this ambiguity in the agenda-setting field. First, it outlines the main reasons for the disagreement, both on a theoretical and on an empirical level. Second, it develops a theoretical model that helps to specify what role the news media play under various circumstances. Overall, the paper strongly encourages scholars to reflect more on causal mechanisms in political agenda-setting work, and makes a first attempt at facilitating the interpretation of extant and future findings.

Keywords

mass mediapolitical agenda settingcausalitypolitical elites
Type
Research Article
Information
European Political Science Review , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , May 2018 , pp. 245 - 265
Copyright
© European Consortium for Political Research 2017 

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