TIME Gatekeeping is
Hear about how Kurt Lewin discovers media gatekeeping Page 43-44
not only associated with the media. It can also be found at regular jobs, in political systems, or even in schools. Though, the most commonly found gatekeeping is in the media. There will always be gatekeeping in the media due to lack of ability to release all information that is known.
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Does The Media Report Fairly...? H
By Anthony Sejalbo
aving no solid settlement on what gatekeeping really is, makes gatekeeping a shaky term and entitles a world of effects. Having no clarity upon why gatekeeping is meaningful to the public is even more fascinating. But more significantly, drilling into what gatekeeping is will be a benefit to realizing the momentousness of gatekeeping. Defining gatekeeping as a thorough procedure, which spearheads to the stories being purified for publication is adequately accurate. Specialist in fields of journalism, communications, or even media all studies the aspects of gatekeeping and why it is meaningful. A great illustration of a gatekeeper could be a professional photographer. The photographer takes a picture of what he/she chose in the location that they chose. The picture is then shown to everyone. The photographer came to the conclusion to show that photo and no other ones due to the aspects that make that snapshot unique and appealing. The people that see this picture only see it the way the photographer wants them to. 43
The possible lead reasons why news stations report with a bias would be sensationalism, sponsors, and framing. If a story has no tangible prominence, the chances of it getting crumpled up into a ball and thrown into a trash can like a basketball are astronomical. This means that gatekeeping is extremely momentous because the public will certainly not ever hear about the minor stories that are being overshadowed by the major story that is being twisted and turned by the media. There are more ways the media reports unfair than just being one sided or biased. This includes gatekeeping. Which Kurt Lewin defines as a “Wife or mother as the person who decides which foods end up on TIME, FEBRUARY 23, 2010
the family’s dinner table” (Lewin). Lewin is also known as one of the forefathers’ social psychology. All credit is heaved to Lewin for coining the term that we currently try to wrap our heads around as we absorb nonsense that the media is flaunting. In a more recent text titled Gatekeeping Theory, Pamela Shoemaker notes gatekeeping to be “Simply put, gatekeeping is the process by which the billions of messages that are available in the world would get cut down and transformed into the hundred of messages that reach a given person on a given day.”Think of CNN as a gatekeeper to a building full of vital information. They let as much information in as possible; take it from any source at any time. News station barely take anytime to analyze what stories they are consuming but spend most of their time dissecting what they are going to regurgitate out to the community. With that being said, it is clear to see that CNN decides what gets in and more importantly what gets released as to the public. This happens regularly and there is no absolute way to control it. It is the goal to give the public effective, vital, and precise reports. Why can’t that be unpretentious?
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ist, Napp Nazworth, notes, “This would not be the first time the ensationalism can be simply issue of racial disparities in media looked at as hype. Unfortunately coverage has been raised.” broadcasting channels basically Yes, some experts may control the hype and only release note that the media does in fact what would be pleasing to the public. One of the recent big cases that grabbed the news and the public was the Casey Anthony case. Anthony was Anthony 4 suspected of killing her 2-year-old daughter and fought to prove she actually didn’t. Though all the evidence led to report stories accurately and when her being guilty, the media still the media doesn’t, it is simply due did not inform the public of all to excessive information and limevidence. This ited time and circumstances that story took the world by storm, but force the media to only report would it have done the same if what it feels is important. This is Caylee were of a different race? true that the media may not be With that being said, the question able to release all the thousands why didn’t the Banita Jacks case of stories that pour in daily, but that should strike the question, get the same attention? Jacks was a mother of four who what is the deciding factor that allegedly killed all of her children separates the stories that are re(Washington Post). If the media ported and the stories that aren’t? Popularity? was on the hype of putting out Rather than stories of mothers killing their wondering why daughters, why didn’t Jacks get stories don’t the same coverage if not more? make it to Perhaps it public demand that the public, try led to the Casey Anthony case being nationally covered. Casey’s pondering why conditions were not only unique stories don’t but also strange. She had lost her present all aspects. This child but still was out partying and quit her fake job. It seemed is because like she didn’t even care for her the broadcasting channels have a snug grasp on sensationalism daughter. There are countless numbers of questions to ask and and can manipulate the media all of them lead right to the gate- into portraying the image they keepers. A Christian Post journal- feel will cause additional chaotic 44
TIME, FEBRUARY 23, 2010
hype, pulsing sensations, and vivid attention among the viewers. Framing also is comprised in network gatekeeping. In order to fully comprehend why framing and gatekeeping go hand in hand, the public must recognize what framing is. Framing consist of how an issue is portrayed by a news station. Just like how a photographer ‘frames’ their photo to be portrayed as ‘classy’ or ‘old fashioned’ they use different angles and effects of the photo. The framing in the media also generates a boundary between what is being said and what is not. “Newsworthy” is a common term that gets tossed around. “Is this article newsworthy?” is a question that gets proposed on a daily basis. To
make an article newsworthy the station must frame the article to accentuate its rareness and hide its boringness.