Gatekeepers for the news are those individuals or group of individuals who have the position to determine not only what is appropriate but also acceptable for the audiences to that medium. Gatekeeping thus occurs at all levels in the communications media structure, reporters choose the sources to use in a story, and editors decide which stories are discussed, often media outlet owners and advertisers get a say. So often it seems that the products that get the best reviews also happen to be owned by a company advertising in a medium. Next time a magazine or television show is selling you something, see if they have a vested interest in the good or service, most likely they will. On a larger scale gatekeepers get to protect information from the general public, and which information will remain classified, or top secret in the government.
To balance Gatekeepers from withholding information there aren’t often enough investigative reporters to find what they are hiding and bring it to the public. Although investigative reporting can be effective, it also generally does not get enough publication or media attention to be highly effective unless the backers in the media industry allow it to be published and displayed o the public, generally investigative reporting is done when someone in the media has a vested interest at discrediting someone or an organization.
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