Gatekeepers: Who Decides What's News?
Every day, thousands of events could be reported. Only a fraction make it into the news you see. The people who decide what gets in and what stays out are called gatekeepers — and their choices shape your understanding of reality.
Who Are the Gatekeepers?
- Editors decide which stories to assign and publish
- Producers decide which stories air on TV/radio
- Algorithms decide which stories appear in your feed
- Advertisers influence which stories get killed (stories critical of major advertisers are risky)
- Owners set the editorial direction of their publications
Gatekeeping in Action: Australia
In 2021, the Australian government proposed the News Media Bargaining Code, requiring Google and Facebook to pay for Australian news content. During the debate, Facebook blocked all news content in Australia for five days.
For those five days, millions of Australians couldn't access news through Facebook. It was a vivid demonstration of a new gatekeeper's power: a US tech company could switch off an entire nation's news supply.
The Death of Local News
Since 2008, Australia has lost approximately one in four local newspapers (Public Interest Journalism Initiative, 2023). Local council meetings, court cases, and community events go unreported. When local journalism dies, corruption and mismanagement increase because nobody is watching.
The regions worst affected are rural and regional Australia — the areas that can least afford to lose their news coverage.
New Gatekeepers
Traditional media had human gatekeepers. Social media has algorithmic gatekeepers. The algorithm doesn't care about accuracy, public interest, or balance. It cares about engagement. Content that makes you angry, scared, or outraged gets promoted because you're more likely to click, comment, and share.
This is why social media feeds often feel more extreme than real life. The algorithm amplifies the dramatic and suppresses the boring — even when the boring is more important.
Tonight's Question
"Where does our family get its news? How many gatekeepers stand between us and what actually happened?"
Count them: the journalist, the editor, the platform algorithm, our own filter bubble.
The Gatekeeper Experiment
- Each family member picks a different news source (ABC, Sky News, Guardian Australia, local paper, social media feed).
- At the end of the day, compare: what were each source's top 3 stories?
- Were they the same? Different? How were the same stories framed differently?
- Discuss: which source felt most trustworthy? Which felt most engaging? Are those the same?
Go Further
- Research: The Public Interest Journalism Initiative tracks the state of Australian local news.
- Question: Should the government fund journalism to ensure coverage? What are the risks?
- Experiment: Create a new social media account with no history. What does the algorithm show you by default?
- Book: Breaking News by Alan Rusbridger (2018) — the former Guardian editor on the crisis in journalism.
What We Simplified
- Algorithms are not all the same. Each platform's algorithm works differently. Some prioritise recency, others engagement, others social connections.
- Traditional gatekeeping also had value. Professional editors filtered out misinformation, verified sources, and maintained standards. Algorithmic gatekeeping has weakened these checks.
- New media also created opportunities. Independent journalists, podcasters, and substack writers can reach audiences without traditional gatekeepers. This has both benefits and risks.
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