a. Interactive processes takes place among actors that have social legitimation for their 
actions as well as economic and social power. 
b. Focused influence processes are intentional actions addressed not to individual actors, but 
rather to institutions. These include PR activities, but also informal attempts at influence. 
Such processes emanate from groups that are organized to a high degree. 
c. Unfocused influence processes are addressed to a mass audience or sub-audience. These 
include the publications of the mass media, but also media events. The publicity of these 
actions distinguishes them from focused processes. 
d. Latent influence emanates from the audience as a whole. The "author" of this influence 
does not act in a purposeful manner, is not organized, and has no media at its disposal for 
conveying the influence. 
The influence of a passive audience is essentially latent. The reason for this is the low degree 
of organization and the low level of participation with respect to public problems. 
Nevertheless, the model provides for weak interactive processes between the passive audience 
and the other elements of the model, since even sporadic interactions between the passive 
audience and the other groups are not entirely without impact. 
The special role of the mass media 
The mass media play a central role in the model. Their essential task is reporting, the goal- 
oriented media reconstruction of the social environment. In this way, the mass media put 
together the symbolic material (the "media reality") that serves as a carrier for most of the 
processes of framing of issues. The activity here emanates from the mass media, while they 
are at the same time influenced by the results of their activities. "The power of the mass media 
consists more in their structuring of reality, by defining a world for us, than in their short-term 
persuasive impact." (Schenk 2002, 400). 
Beyond this, the mass media open up influence opportunities for groups that have trouble 
asserting their interests among the elite public. Influence on the media agenda by these groups 
has an impact on the framing of issues among the public, with a feedback effect on the 
agendas of the elite public. 
The mass media ensure a shared information basis which includes the passive audience as 
well as the elite public. 
Finally, the mass media have the possibility of actively reporting on areas of social reality. 
This means they are legitimized by their public information function to research and report on 
problems of public life. The audience of the media influences the issue structure of the media 
by way of a latent influence process. Other impacts on the media from the realm of the elite 
public are based on interactive processes or encompass organized attempts at influence. 
For the area of the media, it may make sense to perform a division according to different 
target groups. Accordingly, news agencies or "primary media" decidedly target other media. 
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