Agenda-Building Theory

Agenda-building theory seeks to answer the question of who builds the media agenda, the public agenda, and the policy agenda. For example, stakeholders can attempt to build the media agenda through activism or media relations strategies, and journalists can attempt to build the public agenda and the policy agenda through investigative reporting. Some might ask how agenda-building theory differs from agenda-setting theory, which deals with the effects of the media on setting the public agenda and the policy agenda. The difference is one of focus: agenda-setting theory emphasizes the power of the media in setting the public and the policy agenda, whereas agenda-building theory posits a reciprocity between the media and other sources or society in general in building the public and the policy agenda. ...