Who are the Gatekeepers in the media industry and what role do they serve? In our example in class today, we discussed that they are the deciders in the industry. Their decisions affect what news gets broadcast, what information gets conveyed or censored, and what angle to take on stories.
Gatekeepers in the the industry would include; news directors, social media producers, program directors, creative and advertising directors, writers, creative department, and public relations representatives. They work for networks, private broadcast stations (radio, tv, and internet based), advertising agencies, and private businesses, to name a few.
In particular, sensitive public interest issues, and conflicts of interest with advertisers are two important areas where Gatekeepers must be very sensitive to public awareness and how it affects the character of individuals and those individuals affected by local reputation.
When I worked in public relations for the Insurance Corporation of BC we were part of a team of gatekeepers who designed, and controlled the release of sensitive information about road fatalities and collisions statistics. Our media outlets were alerted via news releases, and included local radio, print, online, and television outlets. Due to the sensitive nature of road fatalities and statistics, our messages had to be to the point, but not give away too much information. Our intention was not to scare the public, but to raise awareness of certain parts of road safety that are particularily dangerous.
In the case of the murder of Erin Chorney, a manitoba girl killed in early 2002, there was a lot of public controversy around the sensitive nature of the crime that shook the small city of Brandon. Michael Bridges, a local man as well, gave a full confession of the murder during an undercover sting operation orchestrated by the local RCMP. Chorney had pressed assault charges against Bridges a few weeks before her disappearance, at which time Bridges ended up killing her and hiding her body in a newly dug grave at the cemetary where his father worked.
As a gatekeeper in the Chorney situation, I would be very careful about which information would be released and which information would not be released.
Firstly, because the story is hard local news, yes it would most certainly be reported. However; being that Brandon is a small town, the details of the story would have to be carefully censored.
Secondly, only those details pertaining directly to Bridges and Chorney would be pertinent, and of those details only the parts of their relationship that were relevant to the murder and assault charge would be printed. Specifics about how Chorney was killed would be left out.
Thirdly, because the assault charge was never a conviction, the details of the assault would not be given, however the accusation would be noted because it is a contributing factor in the murder.
The identity and locale of Bridges' father and cemetary would also be censored because of the sensitive nature of death and the sanctity of the deceased in the cemetary.
Fourthly, the fact that the Brandon Police had handed the case over to the RCMP would have been pertinent information too, however the details of the sting should not have been broadcast in order to protect the public confidence in local policing. The fact that the RCMP orchestrated a local gang in their sting operation hints to the fact that similar gang activity does, infact exist in Brandon and would thereby erode public confidence in our local police department.
I do agree with the notation that Bridges may have been embelishing the story a bit to impress the supposed gang leaders, however the body proves the guilt in the case of the confession. It is, however; a factor affecting the content and credibility of the details of his confession.
Local reporting of the incident would consider the following in it's gatekeeping of information; how does it affect the accused and their family, how does the information released affect the victim and her family, and how does the information released affect the local resident's perception of local crime and local crime prevention? Gatekeeping would keep these factors in mind while selecting those facts mentioned above as they pertain to the story in a way that does not defamate the character of those persons ancillary to the story.
Topics like the Chorney case are very sensitive in the public eye, and even more-so in smaller, tight-knit markets. News stories like this are few and far between locally, and must be carefully reported based on the heightened local impact of their content.
~ Scotty Gwyer
No comments:
Post a Comment