Role of Media in Public Policy - Essay Example

The Agenda setting defines the content and subject of material that would be published and promoted in the media. This further includes prioritization and characterization of information that may be displayed and published in a given order. Keeping the public’s view in sight and publishing the material according to the requirements of modern day and problems faced is determined through the agenda setting. Agenda setting also entails the budget allocation, the activities determination, the standard operating procedures that would be adopted along with the clear roles and responsibilities assigned on behalf of the people associated with the media and the government agencies who administer the policies. Bringing a uniform working pattern between the agenda setters and other stakeholders makes up for the agenda-setting principles.

Regardless of the nature of the organization or entity, agenda setting is a declaration of the purpose of operations, the aims and achievements underpinned against the work undertaken, and providing a level of familiarity to the clients directly or indirectly. Agenda setting may also pertain to a particular organization, or political party’s manifesto determination and sharing with the masses and direct clients of the respective entity. Formulating the steps for actions that would be taken in the entire course of the project, activity, or any other endeavor undertaken privately, collectively, or on a government, scale makes up for agenda setting.

Political debates, political parties, political movements, other social movements, and government actions and projects all are handled through the agenda setup (Peters, 179). A problem becomes the priority and part of the agenda once it gains the attention of the media, and also causes uproar in society. Based on this the governmental pillars and institutions are brought into action to eradicate the problem faced by the masses. Or any problem that the government and other decision-making units feel can hamper their performance or bring about the economy or people’s discontent about the government’s office bearers and their performance makes up for the direct agenda and resolution-seeking problem. Based on the expert's opinion and review of the material in newspapers and other media sources, the think tank teams determine the level of severity and action that needs to be undertaken for problem-solving.

For public problems, agendas are set on basis of multiple steps. These steps include the strategies as well as the use of concrete force, tools, and applications to resolve the problems. A team and resources are allocated in the first place to determine the overall nature f the problem. This is followed by the assessment and evaluation phase. Which may include the data collection or strategy determination for the at-hand problem. The assessment phase is guided along by practical action such as mitigation steps or other alternatives adopted to resolve the issue. If public problem resolution is based upon the steps and actions of the government, different machinery and processes are brought into force for public problem resolution.

A particular problem may not become part of the government’s action and work on multiple accounts. This may be so on the account of government’s lack of attention, lack of direction, and lack of resources. The resources factor comes in to act about the lack of communication between the government agencies and the direct representatives who address the problems to the government. Other reasons why a problem may stay away from the list of actions of government may include the prioritization of government based on the intensity of the problem.

 A problem at hand may be more daunting, severe, and challenging about the government’s actions and credibility. It is a known fact that government cannot resolve all the issues no matter how effective the government is. It has to take up actions in a prioritized manner to make efficient use of the resources. Hence these are a few of the factors based on which a particular problem may stay away from the eyes and hands of the government about the subsequent action against its mitigation and resolution. For example at one particular instance in the span of the government’s ruling and tenure, the government may avoid undertaking the problem of education when it is faced with natural disasters and calamity, it is based on the fact that government takes up actions against all the problems that are more daunting and more resolution seeking rather than ones that can be undertaken at a later stage and without any severe damage to the people’s life or government’s infrastructure or the country as a whole.