Lecture Notes on Gatekeeping Theory

Introduction

• Speaker: Professor Rachel Khan, UP Journalism Department
• Topic: Gatekeeping Theory
• Definition:
  • The process of selecting and filtering information before sharing it with others.
  • Based on social psychology; decision-makers are termed as "Gatekeepers."
• Analogy: Similar to a guard deciding who enters a gated facility.

Historical Background

• Originator: Kurt Lewin, German American social psychologist (1947)
  • Initial study on food consumption in American households.
  • Realized decision-makers acted as gatekeepers.
• David Manning White:
  • American journalist who studied the role of editors as gatekeepers in news.
  • Published "The Gatekeeper: A Study in the Selection of News" (1950s).

Gatekeeping Model

• Process:
  • News items (N1, N2, N3, N4) are filtered.
  • Only N2 and N3 reach the audience; others are discarded.
• Subjectivity:
  • Editors' decisions are based on value judgments.
• News Values:
  • Impact, proximity, timeliness, prominence, conflict, currency, oddity.
• Gatekeeping Venues:
  • Editorial meetings and story conferences.

Further Developments in Gatekeeping Theory

• Shoemaker, Vos, and Rhys:
  • Expanded the concept of gatekeeping.
  • Defined gatekeeping as selecting, editing, positioning, and scheduling news.
• Constraints on Gatekeepers:
  • Deadlines, writing style, media ownership, government, advertisers, ideology, economics.

Impact of New Media

• Social Media's Role:
  • Users can access information directly, bypassing traditional gatekeepers.
  • Audiences control their own channels for information.
• Challenges:
  • Social media platforms may act as new gatekeepers.
  • Algorithms create echo chambers and block truthful sources.

Conclusion

• Need for Discernment:
  • Users must discern trustworthy news sources.
• Further Learning:
  • Suggested video: "Social Media and the Elections" for more on social media algorithms.

These notes summarize the key points discussed in Professor Rachel Khan's lecture on gatekeeping theory, including its origins, models, and the impact of new media on the process.