Agenda Setting Media Effects and Political Persuasion in Western Democracies

This critical review examines the extent to which agenda setting and selected media-effect theories can explain political persuasion in Western democracies, with particular attention to the United States. It synthesizes foundational work on agenda setting, agenda building, strategic public relations, emotional mediation, and the spiral of silence. The evidence supports a qualified conclusion. Political actors, interest groups, and media organisations can influence which issues receive sustained attention and how those issues are interpreted. Agenda setting is therefore relevant to political persuasion, especially when institutional access, professional communication resources, and emotionally salient frames reinforce one another. However, the evidence does not justify the stronger claim that a single Western media system uniformly controls public opinion. Media systems are plural, audiences are selective, and digital platforms enable both elite amplification and counter-agendas. The review argues that agenda-setting theory is most useful when treated as a framework for studying uneven influence over issue salience rather than as proof of direct manipulation. It concludes that critical media literacy and transparent political communication are important safeguards, while future research should examine how platform recommendation systems redistribute agenda-setting power.