Introduction. In the framework of mediatisation research, this article analyses the way in which the media agendas and politics interacted during the process of social dialogue that took place in Spain during the second legislature of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2009-2011). Method. The analysis is based on an exhaustive analysis of the front pages and editorials published by eight of the main Spanish newspapers (El País, El Mundo, La Vanguardia, El Periódico de Cataluña, El Correo, Levante, Abc and La Voz de Galicia) during the whole 2008-2011 legislature. Framing and discourse analyses were performed on those informative units in order to identify the thematic frames of each of the newspapers. Results.This analysis allowed us to detect the ways in which the press managed to block the political during the process of social dialogue, which initially stopped Zapatero from getting the budgetary adjustment measures approved. The study also verified that the government used the media to test the acceptance of the adjustment measures and that the press acted as a polarising agent. Conclusions. The study provided empirical evidence that supports the premise that the media transcend their information function and mediate the public debate, as they influence the political agenda setting on certain relevant issues. In this way, the media become political actors.