Intermedia Agenda-Setting in Pakistan’s Hybrid Media System
A Longitudinal Cross-Lagged Analysis of X and Television News
Keywords:
Intermedia Agenda-Setting, Agenda-Setting Theory, Hybrid Media System, Cross-Lagged Analysis, Television News and PakistanAbstract
The emergence of a hybrid media system has shifted the agenda-setting process from one-directional to two-way, as social media and mainstream news media interact constantly. In Pakistan, the influence of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and television news channels is growing more influential in the realm of political and public discourse. Intermedia agenda-setting dynamics between X and prime-time television news channels (Geo News, ARY News and Samaa TV) have been explored in the context of this study with the help of longitudinal quantitative content analysis. Data were collected using a purposive sampling technique during 16–31 January 2023 and 16-31 January 2025, with descriptive statistics, cross-lagged correlation analysis, and the Rozelle–Campbell Baseline used to analyze the data. The results show a statistically significant but relatively weak bidirectional relationship between the agendas of X and television news. But the relationship is significant and more enduring in one direction than the other, with X influencing television news more than television news influencing X. There is less stability in television news's agenda, and it is more responsive to issues that arise on X. The study shows that X is becoming an agenda setter and television news is becoming an agenda amplifier and legitimizer of the agenda in Pakistan's hybrid media system.
