Political agenda setting in the hybrid media system: why legacy media still matter a great deal

Langer, A. I. and Gruber, J. B. (2021) Political agenda setting in the hybrid media system: why legacy media still matter a great deal. International Journal of Press/Politics, 26(2), pp. 313-340. (doi: 10.1177/1940161220925023)

Abstract

This article examines the roles of the media in the process of political agenda setting. There is a long tradition of studies on this topic, but they have mostly focused on legacy news media, thus overlooking the role of other actors and the complex hybrid dynamics that characterise contemporary political communication. In contrast, through an in-depth case study using mixed methods and multi- platform data, this article provides a detailed analysis of the roles and interactions between different types of media and how they were used by political and advocacy elites. It explores what happened in the different parts of the system, and thus the paths to attention that led to setting this issue in the political and media agendas. The analysis of the case, a partial policy reversal in the UK provoked by an immigration scandal known as the ‘Windrush scandal’, reveals that the issue was pushed into the agenda by a campaign assemblage of investigative journalism, political and advocacy elites, and digitally-enabled leaders. The legacy news media came late but were crucial. They greatly amplified the salience of the issue and, once in ‘storm mode’, they were key for sustaining attention and pressure, eventually compelling the government to respond. It shows that they often remain at the core of the ‘national conversation’ and certainly in the eye of a media storm. In the contemporary context, characterised by fierce battles for attention, shortening attention spans and fractured audiences, this is key and has important implications for agenda setting and beyond.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gruber, Johannes and Langer, Dr Ana Ines
• Authors: Langer, A. I., and Gruber, J. B.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
• Journal Name: International Journal of Press/Politics
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• ISSN: 1940-1612
• ISSN (Online): 1940-1620
• Published Online: 10 June 2020
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 The Authors
• First Published: First published in International Journal of Press/Politics 26(2): 313-340
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License