Agenda-Setting in Russian Media

International Journal of Communication. 2020. No. 14. P. 4739–4759.

Kazun A. D.

This article examines agenda-setting theory. I compare the results of Levada Center
surveys on the most memorable issues of the month with the number of publications on
those issues in the Russian press from 2014 to 2016. In total, 884 issues are analyzed in
the article. The results of the study confirm the impact of discussions in the media on
people’s attention to an issue. The results also show that the discussions in the media one
week before the date of polling are more important than the issues covered over the entire
month. People better remember those issues that took place shortly before the polling, as
well as those issues with intensifying discussions during the period. It is also important to
note the role of regional publications in the sensitization of the public to various issues.
Issues covered by national newspapers and news agencies but ignored by the regional
press are significantly less remembered by the population.

Keywords: media, public opinion, СМИ, повестка дня, agenda-setting, общественное мнение

Publication based on the results of: Formal and informal sources for economic power in the contemporary Russian economy (2021)