EOTO Presentation #2 Reaction

Listening to the presentation it got me thinking about how we consume information every day. The gatekeeping and agenda setting team had me with this analogy: imagine being one of only 300 people with exclusive access to the world’s greatest multiplayer game. Then, suddenly, it’s made available to everyone, and you no longer have control over who joins. limiting access to something special is similar to how gatekeeping works in media, but on a much larger scale. Gatekeeping, at its core, is about deciding what gets shown to the public and what doesn’t. Early research, like David Manning White’s classic study of a newspaper editor’s decision-making, showed how personal biases and organizational goals influence these choices. This process is necessary in the world of news because no outlet can cover everything. But it’s not just about choosing the most “newsworthy” stories it’s about curating content to align with specific
narratives. For instance, some media outlets might prioritize feel-good stories or sensational headlines while downplaying critical issues.

They also introduced the idea of agenda-setting, which builds on gatekeeping. While gatekeeping determines what’s available to read or watch, agenda-setting shapes what we think about and how we think about it. I hadn’t realized how much power media holds to influence our priorities until this was explained. For example, if news outlets continuously highlight a celebrity scandal but ignore rising poverty rates, it’s not just a reflection of what sells it’s a deliberate choice that shifts public focus. I found the distinction between the two levels of agenda-setting fascinating. On one level, it’s about bringing issues to our attention things we might otherwise ignore. But on the second level, it’s about how those issues are framed: Are they portrayed as urgent or a systemic problem? This impacts how we perceive and respond to events in the world.

They delved into how gatekeeping can sometimes be driven by political or commercial interests. For instance, media owned by corporations or closely tied to political figures might choose stories that benefit their stakeholders while ignoring or twisting stories that don’t align with their agendas. This isn’t just a theoretical concern it’s something that happens regularly and can lead to public mistrust or even the spread of misinformation. After hearing all this, I couldn’t help but think about how I interact with the news. I tend to stick with a few trusted sources, but the presentation made me realize how dangerous that can be. If those sources gatekeeping, I might not be getting the full picture. To counter this, there was an emphasis on importance of diversifying where we get our information. Reflecting on this, I’m now more aware of the role gatekeeping and agenda-setting play in shaping what I know and what I don’t. It’s a powerful reminder that the stories we see are just the tip of the iceberg, carefully chosen and framed by people with their own priorities. Being more critical about the media we consume is one step toward breaking out of these invisible filters.