This article analyzes the philosophical foundations of the constructivist approach in the sociology of the media, and based on it the model of «agenda-building». The author demonstrates the limitations of this approach and its controversies, primarily associated with the exception of the ontological status of social problems and the criteria of their reality out of the consideration. Nonetheless, the author implies «positive» solution of the issue, since constructing usually means only using certain tools, methods for integrating systems problems on the agenda, but the reality of the problems themselves implicitly recognized. The article explains the legitimacy of other approaches to the analysis of social problems and their representation in the media (the functionalist approach, the model of social disorganization, etc.), as well as the need to build research on the «ideal model» of the dominant society, which is implicit in any theoretical directions and practices. Accordingly, all that is contrary to this “ideal model” can be conventionally considered objective social problem. In conclusion the author demonstrates a deadlockness of relativistic tendencies in the modern humanities