Sunday, March 20, 2011

Who are the gatekeepers of news? How effective is investigative reporting in informing the public?

What you read in the paper, in a magazine, what you see on television, or hear on the radio are all chosen by a person called the gatekeeper.  A gatekeeper is a person who controls access to something.  Journalists essentially could be considered the gatekeepers of news and information for the public; in any newspaper, magazine, or news broadcast, an editor judges which stories get told, which sources are credible, and what quotes are appropriate.  The main gatekeeper for a television news program is the news director.  Program directors select television programs to be broadcast.  Investigative reporting is crucial to the public because it prevents and exposes corruption and lies in the media, politics, etc.  Although it may seem investigative reporting may seem like a hard task it is definitely effective because the investigative reporters have to dig around and pry for information, therefore getting the most important pieces.  However, if you think about it…the information could be unreliable…what if they can’t find all the information they need for a story, do you think they would make some parts of it up to make it more interesting?

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