How “Agenda Setting” Controls What We See in Sport News

Background Of The Theory

“Agenda Setting” is develop by McCombs and Donald  Shaw. The agenda-setting means the mass media can transfer the salience of issues on them. In years1972 McCombs and Shaw published “the dual function of mass communication" the mass media agenda-setting function. They are using the study in 1968, this study related to the US presidential election and the voters of Chapel Hill. After the study, McCombs and Donald Shaw find out that the media is highly related to the main topic of cognition.

Explain Of The Theory
Agenda setting suggests that media has a high level of influence on the audience instilling what the audience should think instead of what the audience thinks about. The news or issue frequently appears the audience will think that the news issue is more important than another issue. The media also tell us what to do after receiving the message in the new There are three assumptions of the agenda-setting, firstly the media establish the agenda, it is not just simply reflecting the reality, but media also sharp and filters the reality for the public. Secondly, the media is the concentration of the new issue because the media will influence the public and policymakers’ agenda. Lastly, the public and policymakers have the possibility to influence the media’s agenda as well, however, it must be those topics that have a lot of discussion around the society. Otherwise, it will not be influenced by the public agenda, because news issue is designed by the media agenda, and public agenda is lent by the media. The media have packaged all the information for the public to receive that information, the media also ensure the way that the audience receives information therefore the media design what extent of information that the audience can receive. Media shape what we hear, read or Atten, people are usually unwittingly following the process.

Another very important concept of the “agenda-setting” theory is “the gatekeeping” function, which means the media is the gate to select which information and news will go through the gate and the audience can receive.

Research Of The “Agenda Setting”

I find a thesis that discusses the relation of agenda-setting theory and framing between ESPN outlets compared with non-ESPN sports media written by Justin J. Kischefsky. (Kischefsky, 2011)  The study has been conducted for a mouth. The study showed ESPN can push its opinions, ideas, and interests on

the public. ESPN is one of the biggest sports news media in the world thus ESPN has the power to put their sport new base on the media agenda and those sports news content and the length are decided by the ESPN sports news editor. The news content is limited because ESPN sport is a national sports media, thus the newspaper can only report the sports news within the limit of the length. ESPN also only report the most popular sports in their reports, they can fulfil the need of sports fans. ESPN filters and sharp the ways that how the public read the sports news. ESPN is not that suitable for the” the die heart “fans of a team to read. People who support a local sports, those fans may need to spend more time finding the local sports newspaper that has reported information about their favourite times. The supporter can also find the team magazine and teams news report to know more information about the team they support. The local sport news media and ESPN both filter and sharpen what the public read and understand about sports news by using “Gate Keeping” to select and limited the content of the sports news before the audience finally get the sports news information. The difference between the ESPN sport and the local sports news media, ESPN may report the sports news in a more general way. The media sports report may be suitable for that audience who may not have the knowledge and much interest in sports competition. The news report will report some sports news in a more specified way the news content will be more related to a local sports team, thus the local sports news can somehow fulfil the need of a Die Heart” fan. The thesis shows us how the sports media filter and limited the sports information that the reader can read.             

Example In Our Everyday Life
I would like to use the Olympics and World Cup as an example, this kind of event will become the most popular topic or issue during the period of the world cup and Olympics for the public. Is not just popular for those people who love watching sport, also those who do not have the knowledge of the world cup and Olympics may want to know more information about the event during the time, therefore media will also provide a lot of information about World Cup and Olympic during the period. All the media will give the audience a lot of information about the “World Cup and Olympics” Audience can select what information they want to read or see. The reality is not like that because all the news is decided by the media agenda, the audience can only read and find out that information through how the media provide. “Hong Kong holds Bahrain 0-0 in World Cup qualifier” (Hong Kong hold Bahrain 0-0 in World Cup qualifier | HK Football | China Daily, 2019)What You Need to Know: The Tokyo 2020 Olympics” (Richarz, 2019) by seeing this two-news title audience have already been sharp and filter the way that we receive information about news and how should we think about the news, because the media already decide the extent that audience can receive the information. All the length and content of the have already been set. Therefore, the audience can only know little things about the news. If the audience wants to know what exactly happens in the World Cup and the Olympic Games, we can only go to the venue and join the event to see what exactly happens. The news topic and content are limiting our unstinting of the sport even. By reading the topic“Hong Kong hold Bahrain 0-0 in World Cup qualifier” this topic only shows the result of the World Cup qualifier matches between Hong Kong and Bahrain. The news cannot show each player’s performance in the football match, the news can only show one or two significant player performances. The news content is limited, the audience needs to spend more time to find out how each player performs, they even need to watch the football to understand what happened during the match. The news title and content only sharp and limited what the audience read. One more sports news example is about Olympic Games “What You Need to Know: The Tokyo 2020 Olympics” by reading this news title in the “News York Times” audience can only know this news is about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the news decides to which extent how much information audience can get. The news media also being the gatekeeper to the selection the information will be included in the news of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a limited word and the story length. The audience wants to know more about the “Olympics Games” or World Cup they need to read the different newspaper and report to find what they want to know about the sporting event. These two show how the media agenda sharp and filters the news information that the audience can read and see, therefore the news creates the reality for the audience. Readers need to read more news reports to find out what information they want to know. The media also have the “Gate Keeping” Function, which means the news has already been selected in the media agenda stage, some news information is blocked before they send the information of sports news to the audience.

Evolution of the theory

Agenda setting is the creation of public awareness of news issues, the media lend the audience what to think and what to read or listen to. The media farming the new content and the length for the audience. The media as the “Gate Keeper” selects news for the audience before the audience read the news prepared by the media.

Reflection of “Agenda Setting” Theory”
As a “Crazy” sports fan, my main force on sports news. However, if I do not watch the match or the competition, I will only the result of the competition or matches, by reading the sports news, because the sports news content and length are limited by the media agenda and the news editor. As a sports fan, I need to spend a lot of time seeing the football matches reply or the competition. If I read the news reports, I cannot feel that I fully understand the matches or competition. I want to know how each player performs in the competition as well, are there any reasons make the team win the match/ competition. I also want to know if there are any ways to help the competition and matches become more excited and improve the Ornamental of the competition. Media will sharpen and filter the sports news content that the audience can read or see, also all the sports news are selected by the sports news editor. Therefore the best way for a sports fan to know as much information about the competition is to watch the matches “Live” or read more sports reports about the competition.

Conclusion
By analyzing this thesis by Justin J. Kischefsky and reading the news title about the World Cup” and the Olympics. The sports media show that agenda-setting theory is lent by the “Media Agenda”, the public agenda can only be following the “Media Agenda”. People may think that they can select what sport they want to read or know more about it. Nevertheless, it is not the case, the news already decides what information we can know and the length word limit of the sports news have been set by the news media. This means media somehow give the audience the choice, however, the audience does not have the choice, the audience can choose the information within the limitation of the “Agenda Setting” theory.   

reference

Hong Kong holds Bahrain 0-0 in World Cup qualifier | HK Football | China Daily. (2019, 11 15). Retrieved from China Daily: https://www.chinadailyhk.com/articles/62/80/217/1573794180985.html

Kischefsky, J. J. (2011). ANALYZING ESPN AND THE AGENDA-SETTING THEORY. United States: ProQuest LLC.

Richarz, A. (2019, 10 1). What You Need to Know: The Tokyo 2020 Olympics – The New York Times. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/01/travel/what-you-need-to-know-the-tokyo-2020-olympics.html