News Selection Process

The paradigm for news research often states that news in one way or the other does not reflect reality. Only a small fraction of events that take place are noticed by the news media. Of this fraction, only a small proportion actually gets published. Newsmaking, therefore, can be seen as a highly selective process. The selection of events or topics can be explained by gatekeeping or through newsworthiness theory.

Gatekeeping

The term gatekeeping was introduced during World War II by the psychologist Kurt Lewin, who identified the housewife as the gatekeeper for the food that ends up on the family table. David Manning White applied the term to the selection of news in the late 1940s. He assumed was that the selection of news is highly ...

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