Perceived Agenda-Setting Effects： Factors Impacting Awareness of Media Influence

Using the air pollution in Beijing as the example, the current study examines respondents’ perceived media’s impact on both issue agenda-setting （first-level） and attribute agenda-setting （second-level） effects through a self-reported telephone survey in January 2015. The results confirm media’s impact on the awareness of issue agenda-setting effects but only partly support attribute agenda-setting effects. The results show perceived media credibility, direct personal experience, interpersonal communication, and media exposure all positively influence the perceived issue agenda-setting effects by individuals. Whereas media credibility and direct personal experience influence perceived attribute agenda setting effects. The findings suggest that Chinese media are effective in telling people what to think about, but not effective in telling people how to think.

Research on the Differences of Media Reports on COVID-19 Based on Agenda-Setting Theory

Objective To study the news reports on COVID-19 through comparing the forwarding volume and posting time of microblogs from the government media and non-government media and exploring the advantages and disadvantages of the two in mastering discourse power in public health emergencies,so to provide a reference for the government department to cope with online public opinion.Methods The GooSeeker data mining tool was used to collect the data of the six microblog accounts that reported the COVID-19 from January 1 to June 15,2020.Then the data were analyzed from two aspects of microblog forwarding volume and posting time.Results and Conclusion According to the analysis of the forwarding volume data,the government media had a greater influence on the public during the process of COVID-19.The analysis of the news release time showed that the government media and non-government media had similar ability in discourse power on public health emergencies.This paper proposes the following recommendations for government departments to enhance their abilities to cope with online public opinion on public health emergencies,such as releasing information promptly,cultivating opinion leaders,and reporting the fact to avoid public misunderstandings.

The Playwright, Creativity, and Society： Unpacking Sunnie Ododo＇s To Return From the Void

The role of the playwright as a force for social reconstruction has been given much attention in theatre scholarship and continues to be a fertile ground for research. Because playwrights draw their stories from society, it is necessary to study their works in other to construe the ways by which they craft our world and make us view society through their own eyes, narratives, symbols, images, and imagination. This paper analyses the play To Return From the Void by Sunnie Ododo to unearth the salient issues and themes addressed in the play. This paper posits that through their treatment of society, playwrights influence the consciousness of the people by bringing salience to certain issues in society. The analysis of the play also reveals the playwright＇s ideological position on issues. It is plausible to say that character and dialogue are the media through which the playwright channels his ideologies in a play.