Media Effects |

Media Coverage and Long-term Effect Dynamics: Attribute Agenda-setting as a Process of Recency and Cumulation

Tue, 29 Dec 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Revised and resubmitted manuscript. Presented at the ICA Annual Conference, 2022.

The article develops a theory of dynamic media effects by showing how news influence depends on issue phase: strongest during initial formation and renewed salience peaks, weaker as perceptions consolidate. Its research design links a five-wave probability-based panel survey to multiple media-content datasets and estimates within-person change using RI-CLPM models, allowing the article to test when media exposure shapes public perceptions rather than only whether media and opinion are associated.

The long-term cultivation of sociotropic beliefs

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A project on whether citizens who get their news from different media sources adopt and cultivate different beliefs about society. By combining a four-year panel survey with longitudinal media content analysis, the project studies long-term effects of news media use on beliefs about antibiotic resistance, climate change, integration of immigrants, and unemployment.

Selected publications

A. Shehata, J. Johansson, B. Johansson, K. Andersen (2022). Climate Change Frame Acceptance and Resistance: Extreme Weather, Consonant News, and Personal Media Orientations. Mass Communication and Society, 25(1), 51–76.
K. Andersen, J. Johansson, B. Johansson, A. Shehata (2022). Maintenance and Reformation of News Repertoires: A Latent Transition Analysis. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 99(1), 237–261.

Principal Investigator

Adam Shehata

Responsibilities

Analysis.
Research design.

Funding

Supported by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet).

Varieties of Media Effects (VARME)

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

VARME studies a broader variety of long-term media effects on citizens’ perceptions of societal problems. The programme examines how media coverage and selective media use contribute to the initial formation, maintenance, reinforcement, temporary change, and lasting change of opinions over time.

Selected publications

J. Johansson (2026). Frames in Thought and Schema Development: Hidden Sources of Stability and Change via Frame Content. ICA 2025.
A. Shehata, D. Andersson, I. Glogger, D. N. Hopmann, K. Andersen, S. Kruikemeier, J. Johansson (2021). Conceptualizing Long-term Media Effects on Societal Beliefs. Annals of the International Communication Association, 45(1), 75–93.
J. Johansson (2026). Media Coverage and Long-term Effect Dynamics: Attribute Agenda-setting as a Process of Recency and Cumulation. ICA 2022; In review.
J. Johansson (2026). Frame Dynamics: Deficits and Opportunities: A Longitudinal Perspective. ICA 2021.

Principal Investigator

Adam Shehata

Responsibilities

Main PhD project.
Panel survey design.
Experimental design.
Dataset management.
Analysis.
Theoretical and conceptual development.

Funding

Funded by the European Research Council (ERC).

Conceptualizing Long-term Media Effects on Societal Beliefs

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Published article.