English Writing

Notes in Communication -- Agenda-Setting

Recently, I am interested in communication theory, mainly because of reading a textbook of Renmin University of China, named Mass Communication Theory: Paradigms and Schools. From the views of Communication and Journalism, there are 6 aspects to understand “communication”: 1 is to deliver, 2 is to control, 3 is to play a game, 4 is to show power, 5 is to broadcast, and 6 is to share and interact. Writing articles are a normal communication way in daily life and due to reading the textbook and thinking, it is good for improving my writing skills.

What does the subject of communication explore? After reading the textbook, I have a rough idea that it studies how information is conducting and the scope can be both large and small. Large: it can study the news among different countries. Small: it can study how we form a view inside our bodies. What’s more, by doing the principles of communication, we may come up with new explanations in the same thing.

As to the point of view we mentioned before, the communication is a control power. There is a term in communication theory which is called ”Agenda- Setting” and can explain many events easily.

What is Agenda-Setting? Agenda-setting theory describes the "ability of the news media to influence the importance placed on the topics of the public agenda". With agenda setting being a social science theory, it also attempts to make predictions. That is, if a news item is covered frequently and prominently, the audience will regard the issue as more important. Agenda-setting theory was formally developed by Max McCombs and Donald Shaw in a study on the 1968 American presidential election.

This world is different for different people, not only because of their different interests, but also because of the journalists, editors, producers giving them different images in mind.

The simplest way to illustrate Agenda-Setting is: the new media cannot tell people how to think but they can tell people what to think.

For example, news in Jiangxi, China -- a student in the institute for senior citizen in Yichun gave a proposal to the local government. He or she claimed our citizens should think more about our country than ourselves. Due to the shortage of pensions, our citizens should voluntarily give up their pensions and for those who don’t want to give up, government should confiscate their property and deport them from China.

The news is as follows:

This news can’t be underestimated. Before reading it, we even don’t think about giving up pensions. But now, still we will jeer at it, we are injected with the concept which pensions can be returned. It is very cruel.

So communication theories deserve our time to study which give us new aspects to look at the world.

中文部分：

传播学学习笔记——议程设置

最近对传播学很感兴趣，主要读了一本人民大学的新闻传播学的课本，书名叫做《大众传播理论：范式与流派》。用新闻传播学的角度来看，如何理解传播呢？主要有六种角度，分别是传播是传递，传播是控制，传播是游戏，传播是权力，传播是撒播，传播是共享和互动。写文章是我们日常生活中很常用的传播方式，读完这本教材，有一些思考和感悟，对于提高写作水平很有好处。

传播学是研究什么的学科呢？我看完书，有一个整体的感觉，这个学科是研究信息的传递的，包括的范围也是可大可小，大到国际间的新闻宣传，小到一个想法在人体内是怎么形成和传递的，都有专家学者在研究。而且实际生活中很多的事情，知道了传播学的原理，可以有新的解释。

比如说，传播是一种控制力，在传播学中，有一个术语叫做“议程控制”，就可以很好地解释许多新闻事件。

什么是议程设置？大众传媒具有一种为公众设置“议事日程”的功能，传媒的新闻报道和信息传达活动赋予各种“议题”不同程度的显著性的方式，影响着人们对周围世界的“大事”及其重要性的判断。这个理论是由麦克姆斯(Max McCombs)和肖(Donald Shaw)基于1968年美国大选的研究而提出的。

对于不同的人来说，这个世界是不同的，这不仅是因为他们的兴趣有所不同，而且因为记者、编辑和出版人通过他们所阅读的报纸，在他们的头脑中画出了不同的图像。

议程设置的最简明表述：新闻媒体不能告诉人们“怎么想”，但能够告诉人们“想什么”。

举个例子，江西有一个新闻，一个老年大学的学员提议：鼓励市民主动放弃申领养老金。他或她声称：我市市民要多为国家想，现在养老金紧缺，大家不能只顾自己不顾国家，并建议对这种只顾自己的行为，应该没收财产，直接驱逐出境。官方回应：该建议不具备可行性。

新闻图片见下：

这个新闻的厉害之处在于，原来我们根本不会想还能不要养老金这件事，但看完这个新闻，虽然会有嘲笑等情绪，但不要养老金已经变成一个概念，植入到我们的头脑里了。这是这个新闻的厉害之处。

所以学一学传播学，看待问题会有新的角度，是非常有意义的。