Gatekeeping is the process through which information is filtered for dissemination, be it publication, broadcasting, the Internet, or some other type of communication. As an academic theory, it is found in several fields, including communication studies, journalism, political science, and sociology.[1] Originally focused on the mass media with its few-to-masses dynamic, theories of gatekeeping also now include the workings of face-to-face communication and the many-to-many dynamic now easily available via the Internet. The theory was first instituted by social psychologist Kurt Lewin in 1947[2] and is still an important theory in mass communication and journalism. Gatekeeping occurs at all levels of the media structure - from a reporter deciding which sources are chosen to include in a story to editors deciding which stories are printed or covered, and includes media outlet owners and even advertisers. Outside of media organizations, individuals can also act as gatekeepers, deciding what information to include in an email or in a blog, for example.
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Although Kurt Lewin coined the phrase gatekeeping, it was first applied to the study of news by one of his assistants, David Manning White. In a 1950 study he examined copy submitted to a small city daily newspaper during a one week period in 1949. The editor of the newspaper provided information on why stories were rejected. White found the decision making process to be 'highly subjective'. Although there was much criticism of White's conclusion, his study led to further research in the area of gatekeeping.[3]