In media studies, what is meant by the concept of 'agenda-setting' by mass news organizations?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. telling audiences what issues to think about
- Step 1: Bernard Cohen summarized agenda-setting by noting that the press 'may not be successful much of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about'. By selecting which stories receive headline prominence, media outlets determine the public salience of social issues. Answer: telling audiences what issues to think about. Why not the others: "dictating exact citizen votes by decree" exaggerates media power into absolute authoritarian command, which empirical studies disprove; "suppressing all printed publications" describes draconian state censorship rather than journalistic editorial agenda-setting; "translating international broadcasts into regional colloquial dialects" refers to linguistic localization rather than media sociopolitical prioritization.
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