MDSC63H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Mass Media, Edward Bernays
Gatekeepers and Manipulators: On Truth, Fairness, and Accuracy
• Week 3 Recap:
o "Codes of ethics are useful and necessary..." (Gordon).
▪ Vs. "Ethics codes are too general to apply to many real situations..." (Dorsher).
o "Stick to your personal values in making ethical decisions..." (Kittross).
▪ Vs. "Sticking to your personal values is a worthy but unattainable ideal..." (Gordon).
o Conflicts of interest.
o Ethical standards: Potter Box.
• Week 4 Overview:
o "Mass media are inevitable targets for those seeking to manipulate how content is
presented, but truth and the need for exposure to new ideas remain as key principles"
(Gordon).
▪ VS.
o "Social values of mass communication require practices reflecting ethical considerations
extending beyond truth to include both fairness and accuracy" (Kittross).
• Gatekeepers:
o "The concept that journalists determine for their audiences what is news and what isn't, by
metaphorically closing the newsroom gate on people, allegations, information and events
that don't fit the journalists' definition of what's important or interesting" (Glossary,
Controversies in Media Ethics).
▪ Gatekeepers: editors, publishers, reporters.
o "Truth is key..." (Gordon).
▪ An issue to consider:
• The "informational cocoon" = isolating ourselves from uncomfortable, yet
informative and useful, perspectives.
• How do we challenge people and invite them to accept new ideas?
▪ Another issue:
• Reporters who rely too heavily on their sources from established institutions.
• Consequence: consolidation of an "establishment" point of view.
• These points of view are difficult to challenge.
• The "Hierarchy of Credibility" (Howard S. Becker):
o Primary definers of topics = persons in powerful/high-status positions understood to have
access to more accurate/more specialized information than the majority of the population.
o May establish the initial definition or primary interpretation of a particular topic.
▪ We should be careful when relying on this sources, because they may have their own
biases/agenda.
▪ It's best to get multiple perspectives.
• The News-Public Relations Relationship:
o Public Relations: the professional maintenance of a favourable public image by a company
or other organization or a famous person.
o If the PR practice is trying to manipulate the news media, journalists should exercise their
gatekeeping role.
o Journalists should maintain their independence.
▪ But does this always happen? What about lazy or overworked journalists?
Document Summary
Gatekeepers and manipulators: on truth, fairness, and accuracy: week 3 recap: "codes of ethics are useful and necessary" (gordon): vs. "ethics codes are too general to apply to many real situations" (dorsher). "stick to your personal values in making ethical decisions" (kittross): vs. "sticking to your personal values is a worthy but unattainable ideal" (gordon), conflicts of interest, ethical standards: potter box, week 4 overview: "mass media are inevitable targets for those seeking to manipulate how content is presented, but truth and the need for exposure to new ideas remain as key principles" (gordon): vs. "social values of mass communication require practices reflecting ethical considerations extending beyond truth to include both fairness and accuracy" (kittross): gatekeepers: "the concept that journalists determine for their audiences what is news and what isn"t, by metaphorically closing the newsroom gate on people, allegations, information and events that don"t fit the journalists" definition of what"s important or interesting" (glossary,
