A gatekeeper is a person or thing that changes or alters communication, from the point where it was sent to the point where it was received. Gatekeeping is used in media, in government, even in education. Some gatekeepers are kind and benevolent, or at least neutral. Others are more malevolent and power-hungry. The truth is that while we do have freedom of speech and freedom of the press, there are sometimes some limitations placed on it. Let me give you some examples of different types of gatekeeping.
1. I write a book. I give the manuscript to my editors. They read it and decide it's too long, so they cut out about 20 pages. Editing can be an example of gatekeeping, since they are changing what I wrote-- not necessarily changing the meaning, but changing what the final content of the book will include. Similarly, a news reporter does a great story and wants to put it on the air, but his/her news director says, "We only have two minutes, so you will have to cut it down." This too is gatekeeping-- time is often a gatekeeper on radio and TV news.
2. The country is at war, during the early 1940s. The president sets up a department of the government to oversee (some will say censor) what information can be given to the public. The government is having final control of what can be broadcast, so that clues about US troops or strategies will not be given to the enemy unintentionally. Or, in a more malevolent version, a country that has a dictator shuts down the press entirely any time it is too critical of the dictator's policies. Government censorship, whether for a supposedly good purpose or just to maintain total control, is another example of gatekeeping.
There are many other examples, but the bottom line is that a gatekeeper looks at the communication in its original form and makes changes to it. Sometimes, the changes are benign-- my editors are not trying to stop me from writing my book nor do they want to censor my topic-- they just have a certain page count, and I need to adhere to it. But sometimes the changes are harsh and arbitrary-- Adolph Hitler did not accept any criticism and if a newspaper reporter or a political dissenter spoke out, that person was arrested and often killed. Censorship is the best known type of gatekeeping, but time, language (if I don't speak a language well and I translate something, I might unintentionally alter what was really said), and a number of other factors can serve as gatekeepers in communication.
They are the 5 teenagers that defeat the Old ones, and stop them from destroying the world.
The fact that the media decide what they will report to the public The intentional choice to withhold some information
The Gatekeepers has 292 pages.
The Gatekeepers was released on 02/01/2013.
The Production Budget for The Gatekeepers was $1,500,000.
The Gatekeeper was created in 2004.
The ISBN of The Gatekeepers is 0-670-03135-6.
The Gatekeepers grossed $2,408,553 worldwide.
St. Louis GateKeepers was created in 2009-11.
The Gatekeepers grossed $2,408,553 in the domestic market.
The cast of The Gatekeepers - 2009 includes: Michael Nankin as himself
The Gracehopper and the millipede are commonly found acting as gatekeepers in China.
The Seasons
The web address of the Gatekeepers Museum is: http://www.northtahoemuseums.org