Which term describes the media practice of prioritizing certain topics, thereby influencing public discourse?

• A. Beat
• B. Agenda setting
• C. Citizen journalism
• D. Voting-eligible population

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that media influence comes from deciding which issues to highlight and how much attention to give them. This practice, where the press elevates certain topics and makes them seem more important in the public arena, is called agenda setting. By foregrounding particular issues—such as crime, economy, or climate—media outlets guide what the public talks about, what policymakers focus on, and which topics appear most salient in public discourse. This effect is about visibility and priority, not the details of the issue or altering people’s beliefs about solutions.

The other options don’t fit this process: a beat is simply a reporting assignment or area of coverage; citizen journalism refers to ordinary people reporting news themselves; the voting-eligible population is a demographic group used in elections. So the term that best captures prioritizing topics to shape public discourse is agenda setting.