Swaying Opinions:What are the agenda setting and gate-keeping functions of media?

According to Essentials of Mass Communication Theory, agenda setting is, "the theory that institutions of mass communication determine not what we think, but what we think about it. They set the agenda for our decision making and thus influence our social and political lives"(Berger 170). In other words, the specifically chosen content of the mass media affects our opinion on everyday topics. How we perceive the content is determined by how the media presents the content. For example, while all news stations are supposed to be objective in their political opinions, clearly Fox News leans towards the right and CNN leans towards the left. The majority of viewers realize this bias and select their preferred news channel accordingly. However, some viewers can be swayed by the media and instead of gathering the facts, they rely only on what the media chooses to tell them. Along with agenda setting, the gate-keepers are, "the individuals in media organizations who decide what will be shown or written" (Berger 64). In the mass media, the people in charge of the companies or corporations determine what content is presented to the audience. As a result, they have a large responsibility provide the information in an accurate and timely manner, especially in the news media. For example, in the magazine industry, as shown in the film Shattered Glass, the editor has the obligation to the readers that the stories are the truth.