How does gatekeepers work in the mass media?

Answer 1

Gatekeeping involves changing or altering communication. But there are many different kinds of gatekeepers-- some are harmless and unbiased, while others are more sinister. Let's do the sinister one first: censorship. Censors are the ultimate gatekeepers, since they prevent or ban certain material from being broadcast. There are many reasons for censorship-- often, it comes from a government which does not want opposing views to be shown. In some countries, criticism of the government (or of the country's official religion) is never permitted to be broadcast, and if a world leader speaks negatively about that country, the remarks may be censored. Other kinds of censorship may come from a cultural belief that certain topics are too controversial and should not be discussed. For example, in some cities that are religiously conservative, the stations may avoid mention of gay marriage or not report on a celebrity who is known to be gay. Sometimes, censorship is political-- a station may favor one political party, and not broadcast anything that makes that party look bad (while focusing on any stories that make the opposing party look as bad as possible).

But other kinds of gatekeeping are not as malevolent. "Time" can be a gatekeeper-- on the news, there is a certain amount of time for news, and a certain amount for commercials. A newscast on a network is generally 30 minutes long, but 18-20 minutes are for news stories and the rest are for the advertisements. Thus, even the most important news story cannot be too long, since there must be enough time for other stories and for the commercials. Editors can also serve as gatekeepers: if a story is not well-written and concise, an editor might change it-- not because of bias or censorship, but just to make the story easier to understand. Another kind of gatekeeping involves the station's format: if a radio or TV station broadcasts sports (like ESPN), for example, it won't broadcast stories about movie stars or politicians, unless somehow those stories are related to sports.

Answer 2

Controlling what information gets to the public...