Media Agenda vs. Public Agenda in a 'no-party system' state. A case study of Uganda

This study examines the validity of agenda setting in Third World countries like Uganda. It analyzed the main issues covered by the two Ugandan main newspapers---the privately owned Daily Monitor and the state-owned The New Vision for the media agenda and ranking of the most important issues among the public (public agenda) and how the two newspapers framed the news stories. The study adopted two methods: content analysis and questionnaire survey research. News stories from the Daily Monitor and The New Vision were analyzed to establish the media agenda. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 300 Ugandan respondents to establish the public agenda. Findings showed a weak relationship between media agenda and public agenda at aggregate levels. Findings further showed that the Daily Monitor quoted more political opposition sources than The New Vision.