Gatekeeping is a subject that has elicited incessant debate in the contemporary world. The mentioned subject merely connotes to the reception of chunk of information. Consequently, the information gathered is filtered before it is disseminated to the public (Shoemaker & Vos, 2009). Worth mentioning is the fact that media houses receive myriad information from the entire globe. Not all this information is aired to the public; the information that raises ethical issues or which do not adhere to the organization policy are stamped out from the list.
Prevalently, gatekeeping has been faced by significant ethical issues. The research majors on the gatekeeper, organization and the public. The gatekeeper plays a pivotal role in the selection and dissemination of the information (Adshead & Brown, 2003). The ethical concern demand that the information aired to the public must free from deception. Worst mentioning is the fact that any misleading information is harmful to the society; hence the gatekeeper meticulously sieves the information before dissemination. Similarly, the gatekeeper must completely refrain from airing information that intends to aggravate an already existing tension in the public (Steinberg, 2007).
Typically, editors and journalist must evince pedigree in the conduct of their work. In a straightforward language, the gatekeepers must display ethical profession when disseminating information. Ethical professionalism stipulates that editors or journalist must embrace impartiality when broadcasting the information (Aggarwal & Gupta, 2002). As a matter fact, gatekeepers should be neutral and only disseminate information that benefits the public. A point to note is that the relationship between the gatekeepers and the public is imperative. In view of the mentioned relationship, the gatekeeper must take into consideration the expectation of his/her audience (Gibbs & Blakely, 2000). Ethical codes of conduct demand that gatekeeper must be loyal to the organization policy. As a result, the gatekeeper should not disseminate information that is against organizational policy.
References
Adshead, G., & Brown, C. (2003). Ethical Issues in Forensic Mental Health Research. New York: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd
Aggarwal, V., & Gupta, V. S. (2002). Handbook of Journalism and Mass Communication. New Delhi: Ashok Kumar Mittal.
Gibbs, P., & Blakely, E. H. (2000). Gatekeeping in BSW Programs. New York: Columbia University Press.
Shoemaker, P. J., & Vos, T. P. (2009). Gatekeeping Theory. New York: Routledge.
Steinberg, S. (2007). An Introduction to Communication Studies. Cape Town: Juta & Co. Ltd
