By: Eli Abramovitz
After the controversy of his explicit photos becoming public, Anthony Weiner announced that he would resign from congress on June 16th, 2011. A week later, on June 21st, he held a press conference to state as much. This came after several weeks of his colleagues—including high-ranking members of his own party—and the public, strongly urging him to resign. Analyzing how Weiner got to this point in the context of the Agenda Setting Theory serves as a poignant example of the power the media holds.
Initially, Weiner had denied the picture he tweeted was of him. He posted tweets saying he had been hacked and suggested in interviews that a political opponent could be to blame. However, he also stated that he could not say “with certitude” that the photo was not of him.
Weiner tried to diffuse the situation and avert the media’s attention to no avail—reporters demanded to know if the picture was of him. Reporters also began to question his allegation of foul play, wonder why, if his Twitter account had in fact been hacked, had he not called for an investigation. As media interest began to mount, Weiner became growlingly defensive and even called a reporter a “jackass” at a press conference, which further added to the media’s suspicion. His efforts to spin the situation failed as the media attention grew relentless.
Anthony Weiner’s actions after the scandal broke contributed to the media’s interest in the story, then. He did not do all that he could have to divert the media’s attention elsewhere. In a New York Times Magazine interview he stated: “My last name; the fact that I was this combative congressman; the fact that there were pictures involved; the fact that it was a slow new period; the fact that I was an idiot about it; the fact that, while I was still lying about it, I dug myself in deeper by getting beefy with every report [all contributed to the media frenzy.]” Weiner could have taken markedly different steps in order to shift the media’s attention.
The scenario is a powerful example of Agenda Setting Theory. Agenda Setting Theory posits two main principles: first, the press and media don’t reflect reality, they filter and shape it; second, the media concentrates on a few issues and subjects, which causes the public to perceive those issues and subjects as of paramount importance. Agenda setting, then, theorizes that the media focuses the public’s attention and tells them what to think about. As Weiner’s experience shows, the media’s ability to direct or divert attention is a capacity of great consequence.
Anthony Weiner attempted to diffuse the scandal surrounding his lurid photographs and point the public and media’s attention towards other issues; however, the media continued to focus on him, which in turn increased public scrutiny and ultimately forced him to resign. The media’s role in Weiner’s resignation is an example of public relations because it illustrates how the media managed the information they received from Weiner and other sources, and how they delivered that information to the public. The Weiner example also illustrates the power the media holds through its ability to set the agenda—by unwaveringly focusing on the issue, the media effectively removed an elected United States representative from office.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/anthony-weiner-announces-resignation-from-congress/
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Weiner-resignation-transcript/2011/06/16/id/400336