The gatekeepers of news outlets are those who own, run, and operate conglomerate media stations. The owners of these mega stations have the ability to ‘choose’ which news stories will run or be aired throughout the day. A lot of this control is due to overwhelming financial pressures to increase revenue sales. Conglomerates understand that in order for their station to maintain consistent cash flows as well as an audience, they must run news stories that are at times salacious, false or as we have seen in recent times, “soft.” In Matthew Baum’s article titled, “How Soft News Brings Policy Issues to the Inattentive Public,” Baum describes soft news as, “Celebrity gossip, crime dramas, disasters, or other dramatic human-interest stories.” Today, many scholars have seen a growing trend towards soft news. In fact, more than half of print and broadcast media can be categorized has soft news.
For this very reason, I understand why conglomerates such as News Corp. choose to run programs that although entertaining, may contain little value in relevant, informational, and educational stories. The gatekeepers of news are those who constantly focus on the bottom line. Simply put, what sells is what will air.
I believe investigative reporting has the ability to showcase news stories that help to keep political figures, business owners, employers as well as employees honest. Investigative reporting has played a key role in protecting and informing citizens on both a local and national level of the injustices of society. Unlike soft news, investigative reporting has worked to both inform and act as a watchdog for the public.
-Patrick Morgan
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