Agenda Setting

Throughout the current Canadian federal election campaign the political candidates have been spreading their messages of change as well as sometimes putting down one another in order to appear as the best person for the job of Prime Minister. Thus the notion of the agenda setting theory has never been more relevant than when describing politics in the media. The agenda setting theory proposes that the media can pick and choose what they release to the public. In addition, the media can fulfill their priorities even if the priorities of the general public differ. Hence, the political leaders frame themselves and their competitors in particular ways by using certain pictures, tones, and information. This framing is important for voters to pick up on and investigate further as the political campaigns only depict part of the facts, manipulate them, or emit certain ones altogether to make themselves look better or their opponent look worse. For example, the Conservative party commercial attached below portrays Justin Trudeau as not being ready, but that's not what caught my attention. What I noticed is that the people in this commercial talk about the Liberal party cancelling income splitting and there is a comment snuck in there that may lead more senior voters to worry about what will happen to them if the Liberal party comes into power.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c86-9HitWg0

However, I am not the only one who has caught on to the Conservative's manipulation of the truth, but rather the Liberal party has formed an ad that may put those senior voters more at ease.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoTsne3QxM8

Realistically, politics will be a part of Canada's future forever, but it is up to Canadians to be critical of those in power and to do their own research into who and what they are supporting instead of relying on the media to inform them since we know that the media has their own agenda to fulfill.