Intermedia Agenda-Setting Effect of Latino Television in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global health crisis from a viral disease known as COVID-19 caused by a coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2. The world population went into a mandatory lockdown and obligatory use of face masks to prevent the virus from spreading. Within this epidemiological context, in late August 2020, on the first day of the general election campaign period, the United States had reached about 6 million cases of COVID-19 and approximately 190K deaths, according to its Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Against all expectations, voter turnout to elect the 46th President set a civic participation record that had not been observed in over 100 years. The aim of this study is to examine the journalistic information disseminated by U.S. Spanish-language television media to Latino voters which motivated them to get out to vote. The theoretical foundation is Agenda-Setting theory focusing on the intermedia agenda-setting effect between Telemundo and Univision by measuring the level of salience emerging from their own news agendas.

A world of two agendas

This article studies the efficiency of different samples for content analysis of news in media effects studies by comparing the agenda-setting effect of a classic sample with the effect of a sample drawn based on audiences’ self-reported media habits. Contrary to the belief that exposure to sampled media content is necessary for observation of media effects, samples drawn based on overall readership/viewership of the media are more efficient than samples based on audiences’ actual consumption habits. A traditional media sample yields a stronger agenda-setting effect compared to a sample drawn based on self-reported media habits. But correlations between the two media samples are also strong. The findings suggest that a broad intermedia agenda-setting process makes it possible for researchers to draw a traditional sample that is representative of the issues salient to audiences regardless of their level of exposure to the sampled media. In other words, even in a demassified media environment, traditional samples are still the best option for media effects researchers.

A study of intermedia and interorganizational agenda-setting in the news coverage of the Ebola virus on Twitter

The Ebola virus is a rare but often severe and fatal illness in humans. It spreads from animals to humans and then transgresses through human-to-human transmission. The 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak captured substantial media attention around the world, which is the cornerstone of our study since it can inform us about the current news coverage on the COVID-19 pandemic. This article investigates the media coverage of Ebola in five pairs of English and Arabic international television media outlets (BBC, CNN, SkyNews, RT and France24) by examining the headlines of 298,559 news stories that the respective organizations posted on their official Twitter accounts. Methodologically, we extracted headlines from news outlets that addressed the news on the Ebola virus in two languages: English and Arabic. The media outlets include the following: CNN (English and Arabic), BBC (English and Arabic), SkyNews (English and Arabic), RT (formerly known as Russia Today) (English and Arabic) and France24 (English and Arabic) from late 2013 to early 2015 during which time the Ebola epidemic intensified. We then used descriptive statistics to understand the volume of news coverage and calculate the frequencies, percentages, mean, median and standard deviations for these channels. Further, we continued to model time series regression between the five pairs of news outlets using Granger causality tests. The findings show that over the course of approximately one year’s worth of coverage on these networks, Ebola was mentioned in the headlines of 4138 stories, which constitutes 1.38 per cent of the total news coverage of all media outlets. Building on the theory of intermedia agenda-setting that outlines the ways in which major news organizations influence the agendas of other news outlets, the findings reported here indicate strong, time-ordered patterns where English-language coverage consistently precedes and helps to significantly explain the distribution of Arabic media coverage. In addition to providing evidence of intermedia agenda-setting from a comparative perspective in this context, this article expands on this theory and suggests that it can be applied to multilingual outlets from the same news organizations.

The Intermedia Agenda Setting of Interpersonal Violence Cases in the Malaysian Mainstream Online News, Independent News Portal and Social Media

Media plays an important role in illustrating the issue of interpersonal violence. Online media such as news portals and social media platforms are highly used in spreading the information virtually and digitally. However, the issue of interpersonal violence is still growing and has recently shown a significant spike. There are not many studies analyzing the exchange of information between these platforms digitally due to online news portals, which are operated by traditional media, and social media being treated as different entities. Yet, real-time posting may lead to an exchange of contents as they follow each other's agenda. A study on intermedia agenda-setting (IAS) - through issues published, agenda-setter, and sentiment - will enable us to understand how agenda setting plays a role in illustrating the issue of interpersonal violence. A content analysis study was conducted on six selected online media, consisting of mainstream and independent news portals and social media. A total of 815 samples of online news, articles and social media postings from five distinct issues were extracted to investigate the content and every 40 relevant comments from each news item were selected to identify how public opinion the portrayal of the issue in these selected online media. In-depth interview was conducted to eight field experts to gain clarification of the result from the content analysis study. Chi-square analysis on three hypotheses were significantly associated. Results revealed that public officials played a major role as the agenda setter. The Star which represents mainstream online news led in setting the agenda on interpersonal violence issues while Facebook which represents social media followed next in setting the agenda. During the process of intermedia agenda-setting, negative sentiments were hugely expressed and exchanged which indicated the uneasiness, feeling disturbed and dissatisfaction on the interpersonal violence cases, which in the end resulted in the sharing and exchanging of news between mainstream news portals and social media. The agenda on social media was set by the public. This confirmed the effects of the flow of elite--non-elite-elite on IAS. Hence, this study contributed to the understanding of the agenda pattern used that also coexisted in different types of media which were created through the intermedia process. Keywords: Intermedia agenda setting, interpersonal violence, mainstream online news, independent news portal, social media.

Intermedia Agenda Setting and Grassroots Collectives: Assessing Global Media’s Influence on Greek News Outlets

This study focuses on a variety of grassroots collectives that emerged during the Greek economic crisis and aims to record activists’ own perceptions regarding the way that domestic media reacted after these collectives featured on the front pages of global news outlets. Drawing on 10 in depth interviews with activists participating in five grassroots collectives, this study brings together social movement and communications theoretical frameworks. Interviewees were asked about their perceptions regarding the role that global elite media coverage may have played in the salience of their endeavors in domestic media. Subsequently, we tested their personal testimonies by implementing a time series analysis on three Greek newspapers for a period of seven days before and after a front page publication in global elite media. Findings suggest that there is a big discrepancy between the perceived and the actual impact of global elite media on the agenda of domestic newspapers. To this end, further research should be undertaken to specify the exact characteristics that influence which grassroots collective will gain prominence in the public realm.

Periodismo y COVID-19. Homogeneización de contenidos en Argentina Un análisis de caso

<p>En este artículo se analizan los procesos de homogeneización de la información periodística en Argentina, con base en el estudio de una noticia publicada por el diario <em>Clarín</em> que involucró al presidente Alberto Fernández y que durante el mes de abril de 2020 fue publicada, con mínimas modificaciones, en 102 medios de diferentes ciudades del país. Se propone como técnica metodológica el análisis de contenido para estudiar la consonancia informativa y el vínculo entre las agendas de medios (<em>intermedia agenda setting</em>),<em> </em>a partir de la revisión de la teoría de la <em>agenda setting</em>,<em> </em>en general, y del concepto <em>proceso arterial</em> de Breed, en particular. Los resultados dan cuenta de una rápida propagación de la noticia, de una descontextualización de los hechos, de la omisión de la procedencia de la información y de la falta de verificación o chequeo de fuentes. En las conclusiones se discuten las prácticas del periodismo digital que instala una agenda por medio de la réplica de noticias y tensa la pluralidad informativa, con lo cual socava la construcción crítica y reflexiva de la opinión pública.</p>

Media Coverage in Times of Crisis. Intermedia Agenda-setting of COVID-19 – related Topics

In times of crisis, the media play a crucial role in offering people information and updates related to the ongoing events. Thus, the media implicitly shape public opinion on the issues they cover and, as a result, influence public attitudes and behaviors. In this context, this paper aims at analyzing the media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, by means of quantitative content analysis (N=1511) conducted on both television and online news stories released during March 18-31 2020, this study sheds light on the agenda-setting effects of the media and the phenomenon known as intermedia agenda-setting. Main results show that, in spring 2020, both television and online news stories extensively covered COVID-19 topics, focusing on domestic issues such as decisions taken by the authorities in order to manage the pandemic, effects of the virus, and statistics. Furthermore, results show a relatively high intermedia agenda-setting effect within the Romanian media environment. Content published online (either in the form of social media content or online stories) is frequently “borrowed” and cited in both online and television news stories, leading us to the idea that digital media might have become mainstream information sources.

Synchronization of Media Agendas between Social Media and Newspaper Websites: A Case Study of Within Day (AM vs PM) Inter Media Agenda Setting

Present study comprised of Ante Meridiem (AM) vs Post Meridiem (PM) intermedia agenda-setting between newspapers’ websites and twitter. Data regarding Turkish President’s visit to Pakistan has been collected from website of “The Nation” and “Twitter”. Study found significant synchronous correlation (X2Y2) between Twitter and The Nation during Post Meridian (PM) (r1= +0.472, r2= +0.841 and r3= +0.752). Reduced posting on Twitter and newspaper’ websites has been observed during AM time period. Finding depicts gradual content build-up (simultaneous basis) on Twitter and news websites during the PM time period. Finding indicates increasing integration between social media and news-websites due to synchronization. Vast majority of Twitter posts are based on clippings of newspapers stories or footages from news channels. In Pakistan tweets of politician, military representatives, and media persons are flashed as breaking news and the same is given coverage prominently on news-websites. The study has also observed consistent use of social media cells by political parties for pushing agendas on social media to get attention on other media outlets. Circular model for network journalism and simultaneous agenda setting has been proposed. Model elaborates how contents move in a circular way in network journalism environment.

Mapping the intermedia agenda setting (IAS) literature

This study systematically reviewed empirical intermedia agenda setting (IAS) research published between 1997 and 2019 in terms of the level of agenda-setting, the methodologies – including the coding strategies and time-series analytical techniques – the types of media, and the flow of IAS effects. According to our results, previous IAS studies exhibited the following trends: (1) an overwhelming majority of the IAS studies was anchored by the first agenda-setting level, whilst examinations of the NAS model and multiple levels have increased in recent years; (2) excessive IAS studies performed content analyses, (3) applied manual coding strategies, (4) conducted cross-lagged correlation analyses to examine time-series effects, (5) and focused on newspapers and Twitter; (6) most IAS research confirmed the flow from one traditional media to another traditional media, whereas more recent studies also revealed the flow from traditional to emerging media, and their reciprocal relationship; (7) the majority of IAS studies confirmed the elite-to-non-elite flow of IAS effects. Based on these findings, this study encourages futures IAS researchers to attach more importance to (1) contextual diversity, (2) balanced examinations of each agenda-setting level, (3) methodological innovations, (4) technological pluralism, and (5) providing more evidence for the flow of IAS effects across different types of media.

Representations of refugees in their home countries and abroad: A content analysis of la caravana migrante/the migrant caravan in Central America and the United States

In October 2018, Honduran citizens started walking toward the American South border looking to be allowed entry into the United States due to not having work opportunities nor humanitarian aid in Honduras. More people joined them and this group was named la caravana migrante, the migrant caravan. Our content analyses of articles in five U.S. and five Central American newspapers sought to find similarities and differences in reporting. Despite differences in language and proximity to the caravan, reporting showed strong uniformity both within and across countries. Implications for universal norms of journalism as well as intermedia agenda setting were explored.