The value of agenda-setting in media relations: Examining how the Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative used agenda-setting to leverage its role as a policy actor in New Brunswick’s 2014 provincial election

This case study explores how and to what extent the Business Community Anti‑Poverty Initiative (BCAPI), in Saint John, New Brunswick, used agenda-setting in media relations leading up to the 2014 provincial election. Research, including interviews with three people involved with BCAPI, a literature review, an analysis of media coverage, and a review of BCAPI’s strategy, indicated that BCAPI proactively engaged the provincial daily print newspaper, the Telegraph-Journal, to help influence party platforms and public interest on poverty reduction and ultimately received $300,000 in provincial funding for its initiatives. Keywords: media relations, agenda-setting, policy actors, framing, elections