Agenda Setting Theory and Classical Conservatism

Agenda Setting

Media coverage not only directs what we think but also shapes how we think. This influence provides media with a powerful tool to influence government and the way people view it. The idea that what the public thinks about is set by the media. The agenda setting theory was first introduced by Dr. Maxwell McCombs and Dr. Donald Shaw in 1972. This theory states that the news plays an integral part in the shaping of political realities. The amount of time spent on an issue and the information relayed in a news story, along with the story's position, determines how much a reader learns and the amount of importance placed on the issue. McCombs and Shaw's agenda setting theory states that when the media reflect on the views of a candidate during a campaign, they are also shaping and determining the issues of importance. This can ultimately set the agenda for a political campaign.

Conservatism

Began as a reaction against the liberal ideas taking hold of Europe during the French Revolution. This type of conservatism differs from American conservatism. Edmund Burke, a British member of Parliament, observed the early stages of the French Revolution with great distress and predicted the violence and terror that would ensue. He is one of the founding texts of classical conservatism.

Burke and other conservatives argued that liberalism destroyed tradition. Liberalism and capitalism ruthlessly attacked traditional institutions and beliefs.

Principles of Classical Conservatism

• Stability: Stability is a precious thing, and change must be made gradually in order to preserve it. Undermining stability is very dangerous because societies can easily fall into chaos and violence.
• Concreteness: Liberalism is too abstract. It focuses on freedom and equality.
• Human fallibility: Liberalism overestimates human beings. Humans are frequently ignorant, prejudiced, and irrational. By ignoring these defects, liberalism becomes unrealistic.
• Unique circumstances: There is no universal answer to the problems of society; the circumstances are unique in each country.