The Effects of Credibility, Reliance, and Exposure on Media Agenda-Setting: A Path Analysis Model

This study examined three audience attributes in the agenda-setting process: individuals' perceived credibility of the news media, their reliance on the news media for information, and their exposure to media messages. A model of agenda-setting is proposed based on the assumptions that if individuals perceive the media to be highly credible, they will rely on the media for information, will increase their exposure to media messages, and in turn will become more susceptible to agenda-setting effects. A path analysis supports the model. All path coefficients in the final model are statistically significant. Effects coefficients suggest that only exposure plays a major role in determining the intensity of agenda-setting effects. A secondary analysis discovered that a credibility index - dealing with community affiliation - also had a direct effect on media agenda-setting.