Issue-specific agenda-setting: The whole as less than the sum of the parts." Canadian Journal of Communication 8:810

The Agenda-Setting hypothesis of mass media effects posits a direct, causal link between the issues and personalities emphasized in the communication media and public salience of those issues and personalities. While this broad statement has been useful for making general assertions to the effect that the media "tell us what to think about, " it remains a general statement which must be further delineated (McCombs, 1977). A number of Agenda-Setting researchers have ignored the attempts at theory building in this area, choosing instead to test their own conceptual and operational parameters (c.f. Kaid, Hale and Williams, 1977; Sohn, 1978). However, some attempts have been made to refine the seemingly monolithic Agenda-Setting concept. Audience attributes such as the amount of media exposure, interpersonal discussion, and need for orientation have bee