[Commlist] cfp: Revisiting Agenda-Setting Theory in the Age of AI

This is a call for papers for a special issue of /Communication and 
Change/ on “_Revisiting Agenda-Setting Theory in the Age of AI 
<https://link.springer.com/collections/igfdbbgacj>_.”
This special issue is edited by *Lei Guo*, Professor of Communication at 
Fudan University and Associate Editor of /Communication and Change/, 
alongside *Chris Vargo* (guest editor), Associate Professor of 
Advertising, Public Relations, and Media Design at the University of 
Colorado Boulder and Editor-in-Chief of /The Agenda Setting Journal/. 
*David Weaver*, Distinguished and Roy W. Howard Professor Emeritus of 
Journalism at Indiana University Bloomington serves as an advisor of the 
special issue.
*Theme:*
Developed more than five decades ago (McCombs & Shaw, 1972), 
agenda-setting theory has long served as a cornerstone of journalism and 
communication research, illuminating the processes through which news 
media influence public opinion around the world. As we enter the age of 
artificial intelligence (AI), the dynamics of agenda setting are 
undergoing profound transformations. AI technologies—from algorithmic 
news curation to generative AI creating personalized content—are 
redefining how media agendas are constructed, disseminated, and 
ultimately influence the public. These new AI-driven influences urge us 
to reconsider the foundations of agenda-setting theory and its relevance 
in the evolving information environment. Simultaneously, AI offers 
researchers an innovative set of research tools to explore 
agenda-setting effects in new and impactful ways.
We invite original research articles and conceptual papers that examine 
the role of AI in the context of agenda-setting theory. We seek 
contributions from diverse cultural backgrounds and welcome 
cross-disciplinary research in particular. Although the issue considers 
a wide range of perspectives, it is focused on research rooted in the 
theoretical framework of “agenda setting” (McCombs & Shaw, 1972), its 
extensions such as agenda building, intermedia agenda setting, and 
agendamelding, its re-conceptualizations, as well as its interactions 
with other theoretical frameworks.
We encourage submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following 
topics:
1. *Content Curation and Algorithmic Agenda Setting*: Examining the role 
of algorithms within agenda setting in digital spaces, focused on how 
algorithms prioritize certain news items, shape user opinions and 
engagement, and potentially perpetuate biases.
2. *Emerging Agenda Setters*: Exploring the rise of AI-driven entities – 
such as AI anchors and conservational agents – as new agenda-setters, 
their interactions with legacy media, and their impact on public discourse.
3. *Information Manipulation and Agenda Setting: *Investigating how AI 
technologies, such as social bots and deepfakes, are used to manipulate 
information to steer the agenda-setting process.
4. *Corporate Influence on Media Agendas*: Exploring how corporate 
interests, including those of billionaires, major stakeholders, and 
multinational corporations, shape media narratives, with a focus on how 
AI technologies, driven by these corporate agendas, influence news 
prioritization and public perceptions.
5. *Theoretical Advances of Agenda Setting:*
● Further explication of key developments in agenda-setting theory, 
including agendamelding, network agenda setting, agenda building, 
psychology of agenda setting, and their implications for communication 
research in an AI-driven media landscape.
● Re-conceptualizations of agenda setting in the age of AI.
● The interplay between agenda setting and other foundational 
communication theories and concepts (e.g., framing, gatekeeping, 
priming, and selective exposure), their intersections, and collective 
implications in contemporary media environments.
6. *Methodological Innovations: *Exploring cutting-edge advancements in 
computational techniques, with a focus on leveraging AI – including 
large language models – to refine and enhance the study of 
agenda-setting dynamics.
*About the Journal:*
/_Communication and Change 
<https://link.springer.com/journal/44382>_///(C&C) is a peer-reviewed, 
open-access international journal dedicated to advancing the 
understanding of communication in the context of rapid technological and 
societal transformation. With emerging technologies such as AI and big 
data reshaping communication practices, social structures, and media 
landscapes, /Communication and Change/ seeks to foster innovative 
research and theory-building that explores the dynamic interplay between 
communication and change.
C&C is published by Springer and is institutionally based at the School 
of Journalism, Fudan University. Professor James E. Katz at Boston 
University and Professor Baohua Zhou at Fudan are the journal’s 
co-Editors-in-Chief.
*Article Processing Charges *
Article Processing Charges (APC) is fully sponsored by Fudan University, 
Shanghai, China. No payment from the authors will be required.

*Submission Process:*
Authors are invited to submit extended abstracts (approximately 1,500 
words, excluding references) outlining the manuscript’s objectives and 
relevance to the special issue. The abstract should clearly demonstrate 
how the paper engages with the core theoretical framework of agenda 
setting. For empirical studies, please include a description of the 
research design.
Please submit the abstract and author information to (_cac /at/ fudan.edu.cn) 
<mailto:(cac /at/ fudan.edu.cn)>_ by *_June 30, 2025_*. Notifications regarding 
invitations for full papers or rejections will be promptly communicated. 
Full papers should be submitted through the journal’s online submission 
system by *_October 1, 2025_*.
For any inquiries about the special issue, please contact the editor, 
Lei Guo, at (_guo_lei /at/ fudan.edu.cn) <mailto:(guo_lei /at/ fudan.edu.cn)>_.
Note. Apologies for any potential cross-posting.


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