Studies of agenda setting, which asserts that audiences note what is emphasized in the news media and incorporate a similar set of emphases into their personal agendas, are reviewed in this essay. Separate sections consider early empirical evidence in support of the concept; contingent conditions; differing effects of newspapers and television; models of the process; salience of attributes of a topic, issue, or person; domains for research; theory construction and testing; and appropriate research strategies. (AA)