I Am a Public Relations Student at the lebanese university (faculity of information) and this is a Power Point presentation that i have presented in class about Gatekeeping Theory in the course "Media Theories" with the amazing doctor, Farah-Sbeity. This presentation includes an example about what's happening in Palestine and many more information about this theory you can find in the document.

1. What is Gatekeeping
Gatekeeping is the process of selecting and filtering certain information uploaded to the public. Some audiences consume that
information received from a certain gate that either affects them in a good way or another, depending on the source, channel,
and other factors that can affect the way of decoding any message. This means gatekeeping falls into a role of surveillance and
monitoring data.
History of Gatekeeping
The idea was first posited by Kurt Lewin (1890-1947), a German psychologist and pioneer in social psychology.
He developed his concept in his quest to understand the human behavior and its important consideration of total
life space. He focused on personal perception and how a person worked to understand their own world (physical,
mental, and social) through frequent conversation and acknowledgement of memories, desire, and goals. He
coined the word called “Gate keeping” in his studies. At first it was widely used in the field of psychology and
social psychology and later moved to the field of communication. Now it’s one of the essential and foundational
theories in communication studies.
What is Gatekeeping Theory
Gatekeeping theory examines the processes of which information is filtered and controlled as it moves through
different stages of mass communication. At its core, gatekeeping theory focuses on Gatekeepers that play a vital role
in controlling data. These gatekeepers are placed at different positions in the communication process, as they play a
pivotal role in shaping public perceptions, knowledge, and opinions.

2. Why are Gatekeepers Important?
Gatekeepers are responsible of information sent by the gate past them so they can analyze if they should pass it to the public or
not. Gatekeepers are at a high level, data decision makers who control information flow to an entire social system. Based on
personal preference, professional experience, social influences, or bias. They are the ones that allow certain information to pass
to the public.
As a direct example, in the news medium Mr. Gates decides what kind of news items will be published and what should not.
Every day the news channel receives various news items from all over the world. The channel has its own set of ethics, policies,
and biases through which the editor decides the news items that will be published, aired, or killed. In some cases, some news
items are rejected by the editor due the organizations policy or the news items which are not suitable for publishing, or it may
be published as it suits to the policies and in what the society is interested in.
Some of the elements of Gatekeeping theory
1-Two-Step Flow of Communication:
The concept of the ‘two-step flow of communication’ suggests that the flow of information and influence from the mass media
to their audiences involves two steps: from the media to certain individuals such like opinion leaders, and from them to the
public. The two-step flow of communication begins with messages disseminated through the mass media. However, rather than
being directly received by an audience of individuals who are attentive, the messages are received by a layer of opinion leaders
who are interested and engaged in public affairs. Opinion leaders absorb the messages from the mass media, recast and
reinterpret the messages, and through personal connections, pass them along to an audience that is either interested in that
specific information or not.

3. 2-Media Agenda-Setting in gatekeeping
Agenda Setting as defined in “Mass Media, Mass Culture” is the process whereby the mass media determine what we think
and worry about as it’s considered part of communication. Walter Lippmann, a journalist first observed this function, in the
1920’s. Lippmann then pointed out that the media dominates over the creation of pictures in our head, he believed that the
public reacts not to actual events but to the pictures created in our mindset. Therefore, the agenda setting process is used to
remodel all the events occurring in our environment, into a simpler model before we deal with it. This impact of the mass
media- the ability to effect cognitive change among individuals, to structure their thinking, has been labeled the agenda-setting
function of mass communication. Here may lie the most important effect of mass communication, its ability to mentally order
and organize our world for us. In short, the mass media may not be successful in telling us what to think, but they are
stunningly successful in telling us what to think about.” (McCombs and Shaw, 5).
3-Decision Points:
Gates are decision points at which items may be stopped or moved from section to section or channel to channel. Gatekeepers
are the ones who choose whether items pass through the gates or not and that’s through specific procedures and also specific
stages in the communication process where gatekeepers make choices about the passage of information, example: Decision
points can occur during story selection, editing, production, and distribution stages in various media outlets.

4. Role of Gatekeeping Theory
1-Professional Journalism Standards
Gatekeeping theory informs discussions about journalistic ethics, standards, and the responsibility of media professionals. It
prompts reflections on how gatekeepers uphold or challenge journalistic integrity, objectivity, and the public interest.
2-Selective Exposure
Gatekeeping theory is related to the concept of selective exposure, where individuals choose information that aligns with their
existing beliefs. Understanding selective exposure helps explain how gatekeepers may cater to specific audience preferences,
contributing to the creation of information environments that reinforce pre-existing attitudes.
3-Media Influence on Society
Gatekeeping theory highlights the power dynamics between media organizations, content producers, and the audience. It
provides insights into how media influence operates, revealing the roles of gatekeepers in shaping narratives, values, and
cultural norms within society.
4-Adaptation to Digital Media
Gatekeeping theory has evolved to encompass the role of new media and social media in information dissemination. In
the digital age, gatekeeping theory helps analyze the influence of online platforms, algorithms, and user interactions on
the accessibility and visibility of content.

5. 5-Media Influence on Society
Gatekeeping theory highlights the power dynamics between media organizations, content producers, and the audience. It
provides insights into how media influence operates, revealing the roles of gatekeepers in shaping narratives, values, and
cultural norms within society.
So, what are the Cons and Pros of a Gatekeeper?
First, the Pros:
1-Consistensy: The gatekeeper usually follows some guidelines in conducting his work. In doing so, there is consistency. Any
work that passes the gatekeeper could be considered as meeting standards stipulated in the guidelines.
2-Quality control: Complex tasks could be directed to a gatekeeper who has the expertise to do the work. This eliminates
the need to train many employees to do the work. Quality improves as the error rate goes down. For example, a convoluted
data entry into a legacy system is error prone resulting in inappropriate mailing of marketing information to customers. By
directing the data entry to a couple of employees who have extensive experience with the legacy system, the issue would
disappear.

6. Second, the Cons:
1-Delays: In some cases, it takes time for the work to be done/sent to the gatekeeper, which could lead to poor service quality
and make things tackle more than already it is.
2-Duplication of work: When work is passed from one person to the next, there is some duplication. The person who picks up
the work normally needs to review the case before work can be done. The duplication happens again when the case is passed
back to the originator or the next person downstream.
Conclusion:
Gatekeeping theory is the process of screening and selecting information using complex criteria before that information
reaches the public is known as gatekeeping. Gatekeeping theory tries to understand this process. Today, gatekeeping theory
remains a compelling explanation of an important aspect of mass communication. However, due to the difficulties that arise
from trying to apply traditional gatekeeping theory to contemporary mass communication, new theories are emerging.
These theories expand gatekeeping theory by analyzing the role of the gated along with the role of the gatekeepers.

8. References
 Gatekeeping Theory Book by the Author’s Pamela Shoemaker and Timothy Vos
 Gabriel Weimann, in International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral
Sciences (Second Edition), 2015
 -"The Effects of Mass Communication" by Joseph T. Klapper (1960)
 "Journalism Ethics at the Crossroads: Democracy and the Future of the Press" by
Howard Good (2011)
 "The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires" by Tim Wu (2010)
 "Communication and Society: Media, Communication, and Society" by Michael
Gurevitch, Tony Bennett, James Curran, and Janet Woollacott (1982)

9. Name : Shaza Hijazi
Major: Public Relations
Course : Media Theories
Doctor: Farah Sbeity
G-mail: shaza.hijazii1@gmail.com