Ethics and Gatekeeping in The Media

1521 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Censorship in the media speech

Gatekeeping is “controlling access to goods, services, or information, usually applied by individuals or groups in hierarchical organizations. ” (CSA). As it applies to media, gatekeeping refers to the method in which information is filtered for distribution, this can be done through the internet, print or broadcasting. Due to the power that gatekeepers wield in controlling what we as the public read, hear or see, there are many ethical concerns to be considered and liberties to be safeguarded.

Rupert Murdoch is a prime example of a gatekeeper. He is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of News Corporation. In 2010, News Corporation was the third-largest media conglomerate in terms of revenue, earning $24.73 billion dollars (Semjan & Lermann). In 2011, News Corp. suffered a scandal of ethical proportions when it was revealed that members of the News of the World staff, a paper owned by News Corp. were participating and engaging in illegal phone hacking in order to find stories. It was reported that close to 4000 individuals ranging from sport stars to politicians and celebrities were hacked (BBC). The scandal eventually led to the end of the paper which ceased publication on July 10th 2011. This scandal at News Corp. raises ethical issues of credibility, privacy, trust, and freedom of speech. Murdoch received a lot of blame for the scandal with one of his former top executives saying:

"This scandal and all its implications could not have happened anywhere else. Only in Murdoch's orbit. The hacking at News of the World was done on an industrial scale. More than anyone, Murdoch invented and established this culture in the newsroom, where you do whatever it takes to get the story, take no prisoners, destroy th...

... middle of paper ...

...v. 2011. .

Lee, Felicia R. "Protesting Demeaning Images in Media - New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 05 Nov. 2007. Web. 04 Nov. 2011. .

Celizic, Mike. "Jersey Shore Stars: "We’re Just Being Ourselves"" TODAY.com. 2 Jan. 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2011. .

McCauley, Gina. "When Did You Give Up On BET? -- Reggie Hudlin Is Still Unrepentant (I'm Shocked!)." What About Our Daughters - What About Our Daughters. 13 July 2007. Web. 04 Nov. 2011. .

Show More
Related

  • Bernard Goldberg's Use Of Bias In Mainstream Media

    831 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bias is everywhere in the mainstream media whether it is political, celebrity, or worldwide news. Bias can misinform the public and most of the time leaves the whole story to suit their belief. Bias is when someone is presenting information or talking about a topic but being unfair and not showing the whole side of the story. Media keeps certain information to themselves to not make their belief seem bad but as a good thing. In everyday media there is some form of bias that can be small or big depending on the topic. Of course in today's society it seems that bias is okay and acceptable in the media. However people doing their job are bias and present the information to their beliefs. The public thinks they are getting the truth but media is

    Read More

  • Michael Parenti's Mass Media

    365 Words  | 1 Pages

    Michael Parenti (2002) declares media in the United States is no longer “free, independent, neutral and objective.” (p. 60). Throughout his statement, Parenti expresses that media is controlled by large corporations, leaving smaller conglomerates unable to compete. The Telecommunications Act, passed in 1996, restricted “a single company to own television stations serving more than one-third of the U.S. public,” but is now overruled by greater corporations. (p. 61). In his opinion, Parenti reveals that media owners do not allow the publishing of stories that are not beneficial and advantageous. Parenti supports his argument very thoroughly by stating how the plutocracy takes control over media in multiple ways: television, magazines, news/radio broadcasting, and other sources.

    Read More

  • Public Broadcasting In Canada

    2606 Words  | 6 Pages

    Over the centuries, the media has played a significant role in the shaping of societies across the globe. This is especially true of developed nations where media access is readily available to the average citizen. The media has contributed to the creation of ideologies and ideals within a society. The media has such an effect on social life, that a simple as a news story has the power to shake a nation. Because of this, governments around the world have made it their duty to be active in the regulation and control of media access in their countries. The media however, has quickly become dominated by major mega companies who own numerous television, radio and movie companies both nationally and internationally. The aim of these companies is to generate revenue and in order to do this they create and air shows that cater to popular demand. In doing so, they sometimes compromise on the quality of their content. This is where public broadcasters come into perspective.

    Read More

  • Censorship In Australia Essay

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    Censorship, defined as the act of destroying, suppressing or withholding information otherwise intended for the public, is detrimental to the community in a number of ways and has no place in a democratic society. Firstly, it is detrimental to the progression of social ethics, morals and ideals and limits diversity in society while prolonging ignorance. Secondly, it is a breach of freedom of expression, free speech and the free press. It will be demonstrated in this essay that censorship does happen in Australia, that it is not beneficial to society, and that it should be replaced with a system of management where members of the public will always have a choice as to whether or not they can view material intended for the public. Censorship in Australia comes about in a few ways.

    Read More

  • The Ugly Truth: An Examination of Stereotypes in Media

    1938 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lester, P. M., & Ross, S. D. (2003). Images that injure, pictorial stereotypes in the media. (2nd ed., pp. 1-336). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

    Read More

  • Censorship in the Media

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear." -- Harry S Truman

    Read More

  • Media Portrayal of Transgender Characters

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kane, Matt. “Victims or Villans: Examining Ten Years of Transgender Images on Television.” GLAAD. N.p., 21 Nov. 2012. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Layers of Meaning

    1582 Words  | 4 Pages

    Whether man is escaping his plight through alcohol, through climbing mountains in an SUV, penetrating nature in a BMW convertible, or finding warmth in nicotine addiction, certain truths remain: the illusions created by the media reshape culture and consequently reshape the truths we perceive through the many levels of meaning hidden in their core. How much courage and wisdom will it take for men and women to rebel against these media executives who force-feed images promoting subservience to wealth and position in order to keep their pockets full. Studying media forces a re-examination of all that we see — just as Oscar Wilde suggests: ìTo look at a thing is very different from seeing a thingÖî

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Filter Bubble

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    In a not so distant past, we lived in a world where most individuals did not have the means to immediately share information with thousands of others. In order to have your voice or opinion heard, you had to be wealthy or included with names like Gutenburg and Martin Luther to gain access to the airwaves or other modes of distribution used in the past. There was a huge segregation between producers and consumers. For hundreds of years, a select few were in control of what information and content could be disseminated. Now while this still may be the case today, it is argued that the gatekeepers of media have less of an influence over the types of content citizens can subscribe to. While there is some truth to this statement, this theory map

    Read More

  • Analyzing Media Ideology

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    Croteau, D., Hoynes, W., & Milan, S. (2012). Media/society (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Read More

  • Negative Influence Of Mass Media

    2025 Words  | 5 Pages

    Stivers, Richard. “The Media Creates Us in its Image.” Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. June 2012.Web. Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Objectivity in Journalism

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    Campbell, Richard. Media & Culture: an introduction to mass communication. Bedford/St. Martin?s: Boston, N.Y. 2005.

    Read More

  • Censorship in the Media and Entertainment

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    Censorship according to the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press can be defined as, “To remove anything offensive from books, films, etc., or to remove parts considered unsuitable from private letters, especially ones sent during war or from a prison”(Cambridge Dictionary). Censorship in the news and in the media takes many forms in todays fast paced world. Even with the slightly leak in information or even misleading information could cause todays world to be turned on its head and can cause people to interpret the issue in many ways which could have numerous implications. This is why such information is filtered by some governments around the world before it is aired or printed. There are countless arguments as to why or why not information should be censored as each individual is entitled to their own opinion. Censorship impacts people ability to choose freely as it is controls ideas and thoughts and thus influences their freedom of expression or their to express their views on issues, ideologies or even practice their faith.

    Read More

  • Developing Sub Saharan Africa

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    The New York Times. 2014 The New York Times Company, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. .

    Read More

  • The Future of Responsible Journalism

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    In trying to attract new audiences, news media have begun to transition from reporting to becoming a form of entertainment. With the meteoric rise of social media’s role as a news source, the fight for an increase of diversity in the media, and the ever-growing desire of immediate content, the future of responsible journalism is more important than ever. Ask yourself, why do I think the way I do? Where do my political views originate? How do I prove them? Most likely, it is due to the biased portrayal of issues in the media and the politicization that accompanies what we consume. Now, compare your views to your preferred news reporting entity. More than likely, they are the same.

    Read More

More about Ethics and Gatekeeping in The Media

Open Document