| Abstract [eng] |
The modern digital media environment, and especially social media, to which more and more people are shifting, is full of endless, new information coming from all kinds of channels, creating a vast, unmeasurable flow. The object of study in this Master’s thesis is the agenda-setting of Lithuanian news outlets (portals) on the Facebook platform, analyzed through the lens of public-oriented journalistic news value. Three major Lithuanian news outlets—15min, Delfi, and LRT—were selected for the study. The research focused on a three-working-day period, analyzing publications posted to their Facebook feeds between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM (evaluating both the Facebook post text and the linked article content). The aim of the research is to examine how Lithuanian news outlets set their agenda on Facebook in relation to the public value they create. The objectives of the study are: 1) To analyze the theoretical aspects of media agenda-setting in the social media environment and justify their links to the construction of the media’s image as an institution; 2) To develop a methodological instrument for analyzing news outlets publications on Facebook, identifying dominant themes, information value, and headline manipulation or lack there of; 3) To analyze the Facebook agenda of the selected news portals by determining its primary thematic direction, informational value, and methods of presentation, while evaluating the media-constructed image within the social media. To analyze the theoretical aspects of agenda-setting on social media accounts, the influence of the digital environment, and the creation of media information value for society, the thesis examines scientific literature covering the impact of digital environments dominated by social networks and platforms on media positioning and content. The study employs quantitative content analysis and a comparative method to identify the agenda-setting characteristics across different news outlet accounts, analyzing 783 Facebook posts by 15min, Delfi and LRT during platform high-traffic days (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) and hours (8 AM–2 PM). Based on the categorization and thematic analysis, the study reveals similarities and differences in the agendas created by each outlet, while an original research instrument is used to define the direction of these agendas. The results uncover a clear divide between the agendas of LRT and commercial outlets. LRT demonstrates a commitment to public interest, with its focus on political and business topics, extensive context, multiple sources, a neutral tone. The 15min account is dominated by small-scale daily news and the business sector, while Delfi focuses on lifestyle content, narrative elements, and sensationalist headlines. In commercial accounts, hard news is overshadowed by popular content, creating an image of fast-paced, mundane media that lacks distinctiveness from other platform actors. This divergent agenda-setting logic among Lithuanian news outlets on Facebook raises systemic questions about whether it is possible to establish the media as an informal, public-informing institution on the platform and thereby strengthen public trust in it as such. |
