AGENDA BUILDING IN THE 1992 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

This article examines the press releases distributed in October, 1992, by the public relations staffs of the two major party presidential ca ndidates to determine whether these materials established issue salien ce for the voters. The study concludes that the public did not engage in ''media tropic'' behavior, growing to the agenda of the campaigns. Instead, an active public played a pivotal role in issue ordering, hel ping to determine the outcome of the presidential election. The study posits that one reason for increased audience influence is the rise of marketed media. It also suggests that agenda building involves editor , marketing department, subsidizers, and audience in a complex, dynami c, and perhaps cyclical process.