Agenda-setting decides which issues become visible

Agenda-setting distinguishes issue visibility from direct persuasion. Repeated coverage and prominent placement can move a subject onto the audience's personal and political agenda, while an unreported event may disappear from public attention. Media organizations have their own priorities, but governments can be especially well placed to determine which questions dominate coverage. This is a selective power: institutions can encourage people to think about one issue at the expense of another without controlling the conclusion they reach. The passage gives viewers a clear tool for analyzing information strategy, public affairs, and political communication.