Gatekeepers
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A gatekeeper is an individual or organisation that decides what information will travel from a media producer to the audience.
The term 'gatekeeper' was coined by social psychologist Kurt Lewin in 1943.' Gatekeepers were considered an essential in the broadcast and print media world.
They could block news stories for a range of reasons:
Too dangerous for public consumption.
Story doesn’t suit the political slant of the news outlet
Not deemed interesting enough to capture a large audience > ‘If it bleeds it leads’.
TYPES OF GATEKEEPERS
The Hollywood film industry (script selection, casting, nepo babies)
Australian free to air television (rules around how much Australian content must be shown, Nine owner Kerry Packer)
Newspaper owners (which stories lead, which ‘side’ Murdoch takes in an election)
We will often refer to these as media institutions
MODERN GATEKEEPERS
On face value it appears that the ‘gate’ is wide open for audiences now we have the internet.
BUT the gatekeeper are still here, but less visible and can still filter, withhold and prioritise messages through algorithms
Many of our traditional gatekeepers still exist (but with a fresh coat of paint)
E.g. Nine Digital and Fairfax Media (aka the Age, Financial review) own Stan Entertainment
EVIDENCE
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