Destiny Lewis

 and the Theorists!

 welcome you to the

 Gatekeeping Wiki for RTVF 173.

   We invite you to explore this site to learn more about the Gatekeeping Theory.

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   Media gatekeeping theory concerns itself with the messages that are produced

   by the media and that are made available to the general public. Gatekeeping is the

   theory that there are people and/or organizations that determine which messages

   are made available and which are not, as well as emphasizing the importance of

   certain messages (i.e.: front-page headlines) over others.

   Keeping in mind that most mainstream media gatekeeping is done by comparatively

   few media producers (networks, cable companies, major film studios, etc.), this study

   is about media bias and possible hidden agendas, as well as power and influence in

   the media. Power and influence will be addressed both in terms of the power of media

   as a whole on society, and in terms of the hierarchy of influence that certain media

   producers have over others.

   These differences in influence can often make the difference between what people see

   and what they do not, which means  that there is a filter that all distributed media goes

   through. The filter, its guidelines laregely unknown, restricts people's knowledge to that

   which makes it through. In some cases (as with the military), this gatekeeping may be

   necessary in the interests of National Security, but in other cases it clearly is not.

   Therefore, people may not be getting all the facts from their newspapers, websites, or

   T.V. newscasts, only getting the information that the media moguls choose to release,

   and getting it through their filters.______________________________________________________________________

  Gatekeeping Focuses:

Practical Applications      Executive Summary     Annotated Bibliography

                                                                                                                                -Destiny Lewis & the Theorists! Spring 2008

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