The agenda-setting effects of new media on the policy agenda: A quantitative content analysis of the blogosphere agenda, online elite media agenda, specialized public opinion agenda, interest group agenda, and the policy agenda.

摘要

In recent years, the general public has developed an increased concern for where their food comes from, how animals were treated prior to processing, and how agriculture is affecting the environment. During this same time, public understanding of agriculture has decreased, thus there is an increased need for research in this area. Agricultural policy is complex. Decisions made in United States' agricultural policies encompass multiple levels, from production agriculture to marketing and sales, which in turn affect markets in countries around the world. The Internet has changed the way people communicate and transfer information, but the effects on agenda setting and the transfer of salience of objects and attributes has continued to take place in this new environment. However, this issue has not been explored in an empirical way and the effects of the blogosphere agenda and its affect on the policy agenda has not been explored in research. This study worked to fill this gap through the objectives to determine what tones are used when discussing the object of the 2009 Cap & Trade legislation, determine if attributes that appear in the blogosphere agenda, interest group agenda, elite media agenda, and the public agenda) with regard to 2009 Cap & Trade legislation (H.R. 2454), recur in the same policies once they are passed through the House of Representatives; determine if there is a difference in tone depending on the source (mass media, interest groups, public agenda, and 2009 Cap & Trade legislation (H.R. 2454)); and determine the predictive relationship among the blogosphere, mass media, interest groups, public agenda, and 2009 Cap & Trade legislation (H.R. 2454).;This study utilized a quantitative content analysis to address these research objectives and found that attributes discussed in the blogosphere, elite media, public, and interest groups agendas were transferred to the policy agenda. Moreover, there was a statistically significant predictive relationship of the blogosphere, elite media, interest group, and public agendas on the policy agenda. This study confirms that a statistically significant two-way relationship exists between the blogosphere agenda and the elite media, public, and interest group agendas. However, this study failed to conclude that a two-way relationship exists between the interest group agenda and the public and elite media agendas. It is recommended that future research look into the potential two-way relationship between the interest group agenda and the public and elite media agendas and that practitioners seek to engage in conversations in new media forums in an effort to influence the policy agenda.