Agenda-setting Function About Sina’s Report On Fudan Poisonings

As an important theory of mass communication theory, Agenda-setting theory hasthe function of an important social function of mass media. It will urge the public topay attention to some specific topics, and advise them the content of thinking, knowingand feeling about the public during this period aiming at achieving the purpose of theinfluence of public agenda. However, the agenda-setting theory is based on thetraditional media environment. In the traditional mass communication conditions,control of media in the hands of a few people has become a monopoly, therefore,media can set the agenda for the public, such a point of view has become the consensusof scholars in a wide range of experts, However, with the development of science andtechnology, the coming of the network era, the agenda setting theory is facing a newtopic. The network media is different from traditional media. The media no longer hasall of the transmission power, the majority of netizen participate in communication andself agenda-setting.This paper takes sina for example, which focus on the agenda-setting function ofthe report about the event of a postgraduate student at the medical school of ShanghaiFudan University poisoned by his roommate on April,2013.Selecting the news reportsof sina as the research sample about the Fudan poisonings since April15,2013, thispaper uses the means of literature analysis and content analysis to get the reportingtheme of sina about the case from all ranges. The news source is widely distributedwhich takes the special planning combined issues, and the use of multimedia form andthe interactive columns makes the agenda-setting with issues present diversification,deep position and balance. By the study of sina at Fudan poisonings agenda-settingprocess, agenda-setting of sina plays the role of distributing information to meet thepublic’s right to know, actively guide the public opinion direction and ensure that thecorrect orientation is maintained in public opinion in Fudan poisoning incident,meanwhile, this paper points out the existing problem of media trial of sina provided inthe agenda-setting process. The media should follow the principle of objectivity.Taking social responsibilities actively to avoid the twice injuries to the relating people on these social events, which makes the spread positively and effectively to create anew vision of media under the harmonious social environment.