International Agenda Setting Conference

When Media Tenor began in 1993, the consensus among reporters was that journalism describes the news, but has no impact in shaping it. At Media Tenor’s first Agenda Setting Conference in Leipzig in 1999, some award winners would not even attend because they believed that the media do not set the agenda.

22 years later, this is no longer up for debate. News selection clearly leaves its mark on media audiences, such as when Greece, which contributes only 1.5% of Europe’s economic output, receives 60% of the attention from opinion-leading media. This type of impact from news selection effects decisions, not just by tourists and consumers, but also by investors and central banks.

But it is not only continued development in the field of strategic reputation management that shows the extent to which agenda-setting research can provide differentiated information on the interaction between the media and the public. Allianz has begun providing assistance to companies with its Reputation Protect Insurance in media damage cases, and investment banks now set up funds in response to media signals. Discussions are no longer about whether the media has an impact, but how and for whom. Current research in collaboration with Prof. Schwalbach of the Humboldt University (center chart) demonstrates that the awareness threshold plays a key role. This understanding can even be used to forecast the opinion of the economic elite on the image values of the top 240 companies for Manager Magazin.

Based on these issues, the United Nations is now starting the UN Global Sustainability Index utilizing these principles to show us where we are today and where we can go tomorrow.

Welcome to the 15th International Agenda Setting Conference, this year in Vienna, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Media Tenor’s parent company, InnoVatio.