Public Policy Workshop: "The Mass Media's Political Agenda-setting Power"

Presented by The American Institutions and Public Policy Workshop

Stefaan Walgrave is professor in political science at the University of Antwerp (Belgium). His research deals with media and politics, agenda-setting, protest and social movements, and elections.

Does mass media coverage affect the political agenda? Past research yields mixed results. Based on a series of studies and relying on different methods Walgrave contends that the mass media do affect the political agenda, but that the media’s impact on politics is contingent. It varies across type of coverage, media outlet, political agenda and country.