Deck 5: Emergence and Interpretation of Issues

Question 1

Cohen (1963) coined the classic phrase on agenda setting by writing: "The press may not be successful much of the time in telling people…

A) …how to feel, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers how to think"
B) …what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about"
C) …what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to talk about"
D) …how to vote, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to learn"

Answer 1

…what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about"

Question 2

Before Terry leaves for work, he always watches the morning news. For the fourth day in a row, Terry sees a news story about the city's finances and budgeting. When thinking about the upcoming local election, Terry decides to vote for the candidate he believes will do best in keeping the city's finances and budgets in order.
Which concept best describes the role of media in the above situation?

A) Agenda setting
B) Agenda building
C) Issue management
D) Media priming

Answer 2

Media priming

Question 3

Which media users will likely be more influenced through agenda setting? Users with…

A) Lower education level
B) Higher need for orientation
C) Higher need for entertainment
D) None of the above

Answer 3

Higher need for orientation

Question 4

Alex watches news on television every morning while eating breakfast. Last week, Alex saw news segments about gun control each day. According to agenda-setting, now Alex…

A) Thinks that gun control is good
B) Thinks that gun control is bad
C) Thinks that gun control is important
D) Thinks that the news is boring

Question 5

Issue obtrusiveness refers to the extent to which…

A) an issue is discussed in the media, although it does not matter in our own lives
B) an issue can be experienced first-hand, in people's everyday lives.
C) news users are driven to keep up with the issue as covered in the news.
D) news consumers feel responsible for acting on the issue.

Question 6

________________ pertains to factors that shape the media agenda of issues (i.e., communications from politicians, lobbying stakeholders, other media outlets) .

A) Agenda setting
B) Agenda building
C) Issue management
D) Media priming

Question 7

makes people think about an issue in a particular way by emphasizing particular aspects of the issue.

A) Priming
B) Agenda-setting
C) Framing
D) Need for orientation

Question 8

Which of the following statements describes the concept of framing?

A) Emphasis on aspects of an issue in the news influences how the audience thinks about the issue
B) The formal presentation of issues in the news influences the recall of news in the audience
C) Journalists distort actual events in the news coverage in order to influence interpretations of news in the audience
D) News coverage is often dramatized to capture the attention of the audience.

Question 9

A(n) is "a central organizing idea or story line that provides meaning to an unfolding strip of events"

A) Audience frame
B) Thematic frame
C) Media frame
D) None of the above

Question 10

News with a/an frame implies that individuals are responsible for solving the reported issue/problem.

A) Thematic
B) Sensationalistic
C) Gain or loss
D) Episodic

Question 11

A particular event (i.e., an earthquake) can be covered with different content frames, for example, economy, human interest, conflict.

Question 12

pertain to whether risks or opportunities are emphasized in messages.

A) Gain- and loss-frames
B) Emotional frames
C) Strategy frames
D) Win-or-lose frames

Question 13

Which of the following statements describes news media priming, as discussed in class?

A) An issue that is frequently covered in the news will have greater weight when an evaluation (e.g., of the president) is made in which the issues plays a role
B) An issue that news recipients can also experience in their own personal life will resonate more when they see it covered in the news
C) Interpersonal communication about personally relevant issues overrides news coverage in opinion formation
D) Journalists select only some events that are actually covered in the news

Question 14

How does 'issue quality' influence the agenda-setting process?

A) Agenda-setting effects are stronger among those media users with a strong topic interest
B) Agenda-setting effects are stronger for unobtrusive issues.
C) Interpersonal communication about interesting topics reduces agenda-setting effects
D) Agenda setting is equally applicable to all kinds of topics

Question 15

This type of research links the importance that news media place on particular issues and the importance that the public places on the same issues.

A) Gatekeeping
B) Agenda setting
C) Catharsis
D) Uses-and-gratifications approach

Question 16

Drew hears sexual references on television and in popular music many times each day. When encountering a potential romantic partner, the sexual desirability of this person is particularly influential when Drew forms an impression of the person.
Which theoretical approach explains this scenario?

A) Virtuous cycle
B) Media Priming
C) Salience
D) Normalization