P1 - Gatekeepers

Gatekeepers are usually journalists or editors who have the task of filtering or editing information for various media platforms before it is published by Podcast, Newspaper, TV and website. Traditionally, the job of the gatekeeper has been mass media, however in recent years it has developed into one-on-one conversations. Their job is to basically filter the news on what they believe to be relevant and what they don’t think is needed in the release. Gatekeepers are vital to the modern day news distribution. They help ensure that the information being released is legitimate and accurate.

Examples of gatekeepers can even include teachers. Teachers jobs are to learn information then filter what they believe is relevant to teach the pupils. However, Gatekeeping can have its drawbacks. For example, in South Korea, all of the media must be authorised by the state. If the information is not filtered by the state gatekeepers it cannot be published. Publications from different countries are also not allowed in South Korea therefore their news is riddled with propaganda. Another example of gatekeepers in the UK. 3 conglomerates are in charge of 71% of national newspaper circulations whilst 5 companies are in charge of 81% of local newspaper titles. This can mean that publications can be seen as bias as the same companies are releasing information on different platforms