Simply put, gatekeeping is the process by which the billions of messages that are available in the world get cut down and transformed into hundreds of messages that reach a given person on a given day (Shoemaker 1). To keep things working without any kind of conflict, we are introduced to four theories that mass media uses. We could send messages to the shows producers and hope our feedback is received, or we could yell at the television, but neither is likely to influence the people responsible for sending the message. Dr. Drew has published over 20 academic articles in scholarly journals. This piece will examine the ideas of agenda setting and gatekeeping theories, as well as how they affect modern media coverage. Forces on both sides of a gate can either help or hinder the information's passage . The process itself is known as gatekeeping. The audience are taught to adapt to the frame of reference given by the media. Gate Keeping Theory 1. In terms of the attack-dog role, the twenty-four-hour news cycle and constant reporting on public figures has created the kind of atmosphere where reporters may be waiting to pounce on a mistake or error in order to get the scoop and be able to produce a tantalizing story. In general, the mass media serves information, interpretation, instructive, bonding, and diversion functions: Just as a gate controls the flow of traffic, the media acts as a gatekeeper, allowing some messages to travel through and others not. DeFleur, M. L., & DeFleur, M. H. (2016). The gatekeeper decides what information should move past them (through the information gate) to the group or individuals beyond, and what information should not. What are the criticisms of the theory? Thank you for the detailed explanation of gatekeeping. Being given all the information on something, framing allows the media to also give a perspective to the audience. Gatekeeping: A critical review. The gatekeeping theory of mass communication is a method which allows us to keep our sanity. Ethical ideologies may also influence the data points. Theories have claimed strong effects, meaning that media messages can directly and intentionally influence audience members. White concluded that the criteria used by the editor were generally highly subjective. Every news medium has an abundance of news stories brought to its attention. To test the theories, researchers wanted to find out how different messages influenced or changed the behavior of the receiver. Discuss theories of mass communication, including hypodermic needle theory, media effects, and cultivation theory. This simply shows the media how much their news has affected or has created an impact in public and helps them set an agenda for the next dissemination accordingly. Media coverage often increases self-consciousness, which affects our actions. Fox News and MSNBC might approach the same data points, but in different ways. The boomerang effect refers to media-induced change that is counter to the desired change. As we already learned, the pervasive view of media effects today is that media messages do affect people, but that people have some agency in terms of how much or little they identify with or reinterpret a message. The board was not happy with the presidents approach to dealing with the changing financial and technological pressures facing the school and thought ousting her may make room for a president who was more supportive of a corporate model of university governance (Prez-Pea, 2012). Learn more about our academic and editorial standards. Barzilai-Nahon, K. (2009). Other writings include architecture, sociology, urban planning, and economics. Support your answers. In home mother plays the vital role and she has to decide what their kids needs and what should avoid. Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The hypodermic needle theory of mass communication suggests that a sender constructs a message with a particular meaning that is injected into individuals within a mass audience. Gatekeeping theory tries to understand this process. There are chances for a very rare set of audience to find out between the truth and a lie. The answer for the question of newsworthiness, editorial values and news policies when an information is passed lies in the hands of the journalists and the editors of the organization. The traditional view of gatekeeping can be explained as follows (DeFleur & DeFleur, 2016, p. 198): Melvin and Margaret DeFleur (2016) list the following three questions as the central concerns of gatekeeping theory: Gatekeeping is, however, not limited to the theme of news stories. Studentsshould always cross-check any information on this site with their course teacher. But, the media keeps on talking about the first issue and does not give much attention to the second. The amount of time and space devoted by the media to a particular issue decides the receptiveness and alertness of the audience to the same issue. It is difficult, however, to determine in any specific case how much influence the media has on a belief or behavior in proportion to other factors that influence us. This means anyone can publish anything and it is up to each individual and demographic to determine its credibility. Gatekeeping refers to the idea that too many events occur for the media to cover all of them, so it must therefore choose which ones to specifically cover. Humans are also their own gatekeepers at the point of consumption, creating a secondary filter for information. CVIII. but the fact that they seem to share two unexamined assumptions. 196-197): Gatekeeping theory is not without its weaknesses. In each of these gatekeeping functions, the media can fulfill or fail to fulfill its role as the fourth estate of governmentor government watchdog. You can read more about this role in the Getting Critical box. McQuail, D., McQuails Mass Communication Theory, 6th ed. The information function of the news has been criticized and called infotainment, and rather than bringing people together, the media has been cited as causing polarization and a decline in civility (Self, Gaylord, & Gaylord, 2009). This approach connects to the interaction model of communication. Which is most important for society and why? Gatekeeping theory was first introduced by the social psychologist Kurt Lewin in 1943. Copyright 2023 Helpful Professor. Gatekeeping Theory describes the powerful process through which events are . It is his job to select from the avalanche of wire copy daily provided by the Associated Press, United Press and International News Service what 30,000 families will read on the front page of their morning newspapers. On the other hand, a gatekeeper who expands a message by falsifying evidence or making up details either to appear more credible or to mislead others is being unethical. Additionally, they claim that attack-dog reporting makes it more difficult for public officials to do their jobs (Coronel, 2008). The media also engages in investigative reporting, which can uncover dangers or corruption that the media can then expose so that the public can demand change. Information tends to follow the same pattern as the accepted societal norms, but within certain demographics of consumers. thank you for that knowledge, am a student at Kampala international university Uganda on masters degree. For example, if you live in Northern Canada and the informational gatekeeper pushes through content that talks about suntan lotion, the individual may filter the content and discard it because it is not relevant to them at that time. This is clearly explained,my lecture gave us an assessment and one of the questions was to define Gate keeping,and honestly speaking I did not write anything because I was blank about the term but now i can shine to the world.Am a student at Mzuzu Technical College am studying ICT, Next post: Westley and MacLeans Model of Communication, Psychology, Behavioral And Social Science, Westley and MacLeans Model of Communication, Advertising, Public relations, Marketing and Consumer Behavior. They may be able to influence the various gates that are mediating data for consumers as well. Routines. What are the consequences of using those criteria for the audience. Gate + Keeping = gatekeeping is the control of what information goes in media to reach the public. There are five factors that influence the gatekeeping theory of mass communication. These factors are influenced by the political parties, Governing and Non Governmental organizations, and sometimes the educational institutions. In terms of relaying, mass media requires some third party to get a message from one human to the next. This early approach to studying media effects was called the hypodermic needle approach or bullet theory and suggested that a sender constructed a message with a particular meaning that was injected or shot into individuals within the mass audience. <> Media businesses were invested in this early strand of research, because data that proved that messages directly affect viewers could be used to persuade businesses to send their messages through the media channel in order to directly influence potential customers. But in the context of new media, the influence of the gated must also be considered (Barzilai-Nahon, 2009, p. 42 & DeFleur & DeFleur, 2016, p. 197). Organizations also have their own ethics and rules that they enforce, which means the data points being consumed may be tinged by those rules or ethics. The relationship between the Presidential administration and the press is an example of this in the United States. This means gatekeeping must be put into a role of surveillance, monitoring the data points that are created every day to sort out the relevant items that someone will want to have. All of the following are assumptions of Agenda Setting Theory EXCEPT: A) The media's concentration on the issues that comprise their agenda influence the public's agenda, and these together influence the policymakers' agenda. The authors also brought gatekeeping into the age of the Internet, a time when some scholars are suggesting that . Reviewers ensure all content reflects expert academic consensus and is backed up with reference to academic studies. Because of this lack of immediacy, mass media messages are also typically more impersonal than face-to-face messages. The Concept of Gatekeeping: The gatekeeper decides what information should move past them (through the information "gate") to the group or individuals beyond, and what information should not. While countries like China, North Korea, Syria, and Burma have media systems that are nearly if not totally controlled by the state regime, the media in the United States and many other countries is viewed as the watchdog for the government. Gatekeeping is the process of controlling information as it moves through a filter (gate). Thank you. A limited message doesnt necessarily mean the message is bad or manipulated, as editing is a necessity. People tend to support one side or the other in any media-related debate. There are also more objective and balanced sources of media criticism. This watchdog role is intended to keep governments from taking too much power from the people and overstepping their bounds. This article was peer-reviewed and edited by Chris Drew (PhD). They have also claimed weak effects, meaning that media messages have no little power over viewers. Every day the news channel receives various news items from all over the world. We also require more than sensory ability to receive mass media messages. Long before digital technology challenged the assumptions of numerous theories, gatekeeping theory had. The most common filters include the type or nature of the information, the type of content, or the type of event that has occurred. Another key characteristic of mass communication in relation to other forms of communication is its lack of sensory richness. Lewin had been asked to develop an understanding of the process by which average American families chose the foods they consumed and prepared at home (DeFleur & DeFleur, 2016, p. 190). Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, 43(1), 179. But a range of forces including time constraints, advertiser pressure, censorship, or personal bias, among others, can influence editing choices. 3. Advertisers, wealthy institutions, or wealthy individuals may be able to have a say in what data points are published in the first place. Here, editor decides the news items especially he cant show the Texas bull fighting because it is not internationally popular story. Using this theory through Media, could helped him and his administration to win the presidency. The selection of content is controlled on certain bases, they are: The events organized by the media almost fall under a recurring pattern. It includes organizations and technologies that are involved. Broadly explained, gatekeeping theory has its centre focus on the information filtering strategy. Do we have relationships with media like we have relationships with people? If this were true, though, would advertisers and public relations professionals spend billions of dollars a year carefully crafting messages aimed at influencing viewers? (LogOut/ 2 0 obj In this case, media attention caused a movement to spread that may have otherwise remained localized. Learn more about our academic and editorial standards. The media also tells us what is the at a most thing or the least thing that society expects from us and vice versa, which in return has given birth to a conflict perspective. The gatekeeping theory of mass communication is a method which allows us to keep our sanity. Mass media are generally described as channels that help in reaching mass audiences. Of course, when media outlets reinterpret content to the point that it is untruthful or misleading, they are not ethically fulfilling the gatekeeping function of reinterpretation. Gatekeeper Communication These scholars believed that media messages had strong effects that were knowable and predictable. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769905002700403. In this theory, the impact of the audience (the gated) is also considered. Grounded in cognitive psychology, the theory of media priming is derived from the associative network model of human memory, in which an idea or concept is stored as a node in the network and is related to other ideas or concepts by semantic paths.. Priming refers to the activation of a . These divisions might be based on social class, status, gender, or race. All articles are edited by a PhD level academic. These theories expand gatekeeping theory by analyzing the role of the gated along with the role of the gatekeepers. Journalism Quarterly, 27(4), 383390. For example, a technology geek and a person living off the grid have very different lives and very different views of technology, but because of their exposure to various forms of media that have similar patterns of messages regarding technology, they still have some shared reality and could talk in similar ways about computers, smartphones, and HD television. https://doi.org/10.1002/aris.2009.1440430117, https://doi.org/10.1108/10662249910274601, https://doi.org/10.1080/10811689809368657, https://doi.org/10.1177/107769905002700403. Although these messages are diverse and no one person is exposed to all the same messages, the messages are still constructed in some predictable and patterned ways that create a shared social reality. Griffin, E., A First Look at Communication Theory, 7th ed. The first is that the media filters and shapes what we see rather than just reflecting stories to the audience. What strategies or suggestions do you have for bypassing this function of the media to ensure that you get access to the information you want/need? Although most do not get mass public attention, there are many media criticism and analysis organizations that devote much time and resources to observing, studying, and/or commenting on how the media acts in practice, which often involves an implicit evaluation of media theories we have discussed so far, in particular media effects theories. Now its one of the essential theories in communication studies. This helps future media persons to study and explore how media has an influence on a group or on individuals. In communication theory, gatekeeping is the process through which information is filtered before it is disseminated. To keep things working without any kind of conflict, we are introduced to four theories that mass media uses. (1998). The best resource for Gatekeeping theory info is Gatekeeping Theory by Shoemaker + Vos (amazon link). From sociology, mass media researchers began to study the powerful socializing role that the media plays but also acknowledged that audience members take active roles in interpreting media messages. The freedom of the press as guaranteed by our First-Amendment rights allows the media to act as the eyes and ears of the people. Because of this, they theorized that controlling the signs and symbols used in media messages could control how they were received and convey a specific meaning (Self, Gaylord, & Gaylord, 2009). Real crime statistics give a more reliable estimate of 1 in 10,000. Any news medium (e.g. Through this process the unwanted, sensible and controversial informations are removed by the gate keeper which helps to control the society or a group and letting them in a right path. Although we relay messages in other forms of communication such as interpersonal and small group, we are primarily receivers when it comes to mass communication, which makes us depend on the gatekeeper to relay the message. In the world of twenty-four-hour news and constant streams of user-generated material, the effects of gaffes, blunders, or plain old poor decisions are much more difficult to control or contain. However, due to the difficulties that arise from trying to apply traditional gatekeeping theory to contemporary mass communication, new theories are emerging. But international terror issues and UN discussions are universal common news that wont affect the channel reputation in public and organizations policy. What are the latest research on gatekeeping theory. Theories of mass communication have changed dramatically since the early 1900s, largely as a result of quickly changing technology and more sophisticated academic theories and research methods. It is often challenging for scholars to describe and analyze new gatekeeping phenomena using traditional methods. The information is very appreciated and thanks. Researchers also focused more on long-term effects and how media messages create opinion climates, structures of belief, and cultural patterns. Commonly referred to as Mr. Gates (brilliant right? The review process on Helpful Professor involves having a PhD level expert fact check, edit, and contribute to articles. Starting from providing information to giving a perspective to it, mass media plays a much higher role in society. There are literally billions of data points that human culture generates every day. Instead of the intended effect of changing the direction and priorities for the university, the boards actions increased support for the president, which will also likely add support to her plans for dealing with the issues. More recently, theories have claimed negotiated effects, meaning that media messages do affect viewers but that viewers also have some agency to identify with, reject, or reinterpret a message. The theory according to Elina E. (2018) [4] is explained as "the judgment or decision making.