reinforcement theory

reinforcement theory
   A theory concerning media influence on the electorate. Supporters of reinforcement theory, which became fashionable in the years after 1945, suggested that voters used the media to reinforce their own outlook. They know what they need from the media and take that, and that alone. In other words, as free agents rather than mindless victims, they filter information which substantiates their own pre-determined beliefs. Hence the name sometimes employed for this theory, the ‘uses and gratifications model’.
   The reinforcement theory held sway for many years, but as television became more pervasive and played such a key part in people’s daily lives, its adequacy was called into question. It gave way in the 1970s to the agendasetting theory, stressing that by deciding on the issues that are granted coverage, television and papers help to determine what the public is thinking about, if not actually what they think.

Glossary of UK Government and Politics . 2013.

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