ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses related concepts of gatewatching and gatebouncing. It argues that notions of gatekeeping still capture relevant journalistic processes. The chapter examines the history and key features of gatekeeping, the current state of the art, critical issues, and methodological issues. The basic idea that journalists act as gatekeepers of news has not been fashionable during most of the 21st century. Journalistic gatekeepers selectively gather, sort, write, edit, position, schedule, repeat, and otherwise massage information to become news. The gatekeeping function refers to gatekeeping that happens as a function of those realities of the social, physical, and digital world that inhibit or advance the flow of information. When gatekeeping studies theorize about units on different levels of analysis, confusion is certain and incorrect conclusions probable. News media environments are always changing and the body of knowledge about the gatekeeping process must stay current.
