Colloquy with Maxwell McCombs at the University of Texas at Austin: agenda setting, a limitless theory in a connected world

Abstract

Professor Maxwell McCombs is a widely known authority in Journalism. Much of his historical and intellectual background, as well as his contribution to journalism and political communication, is found in this interview, done in 22–23 May 2017 in Austin (Texas) by two qualified interviewers: a corporate communications professional, and a professor of communications theory. The long conversations with the interviewee allow them to extract the best of his academic background and, one may also say, of his amiable character. Professor McCombs is currently the Jesse H. Jones Centennial Chair in Communication Emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin. He has been visiting professor in many different US and worldwide universities. After the original Chapel Hill Study (North Carolina) with his colleague Donald Shaw he coined the term ‘agenda setting’ in 1968. He received his M.A. and his Ph.D. from Stanford University and his B.A. from Tulane University.