Intermedia Agenda-Setting Effects in Corporate News: Examining the Influence of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal on Local Newspapers

• In Event: Advances in Agenda Setting Research

Abstract

This study examined the first-level and second-level intermedia agenda-setting effects of elite newspapers on local newspapers in corporate news. For the first-level agenda-setting effect, the significant correlation was found between the elite newspapers and local newspapers in terms of the amount of reports of a focal company. For the cognitive dimension of the second-level intermedia agenda-setting effect, the significant correlation was found between the elite newspapers and local newspapers in terms of the amount of reports concerning a dimension/attribute. For the affective dimension of the second-level intermedia agenda-setting effect, a strong and significant correlation was found between the elite newspapers and local newspapers in terms of the amount of different tonality reports regarding a focal company and a dimension/attribute. However, there was no strong evidence for the causal relationship between the agendas of the elite newspapers and local newspapers.

Author

• Xiaoqun Zhang, University of North Texas