Relationship between Media and Public Memory Agenda: Memory-Setting Case Study of Georgia

Media coverage is known to have a significant impact on how important issues are perceived by the general public. There is a scarcity of understanding regarding the specific role of media institutions in creating mnemonic narratives that permeate state rhetoric and contribute to the formulation of collective memory within post-Soviet Georgian society. This is the first attempt to analyze the salience of past events in Georgian television coverage compared with the events deemed significant by the public. Using the framework of agenda-setting theory, a “memory- setting” research design is employed to examine the relationship between the “media memory agenda” and the “public memory agenda.” The findings reveal a statistically significant relationship between the two agendas during the week of Georgia’s Independence Day, a period of increased television coverage surrounding historical and cultural events. The resilience of the public memory agenda becomes apparent whereby additional insights into individual perspectives within the broader collective memory are deemed necessary. Participants’ comments highlight the diverse ways in which the public engages with and interprets media representations of the past. The study provides a fresh perspective on the role of mass media in the formation of collective memory while recognizing the boundaries of its influence. Keywords: media agenda, collective memory, memory-setting