Clayman1998a

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Clayman1998a
BibType ARTICLE
Key Clayman1998a
Author(s) Steven E. Clayman, Ann Reisner
Title Gatekeeping in action: Editorial conferences and assessments of newsworthiness
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, Journalism, Gatekeeping, Assessments, News
Publisher
Year 1998
Language
City
Month
Journal American Sociological Review
Volume 63
Number 2
Pages 178–199
URL Link
DOI 10.2307/2657322
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

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Abstract

We study how newspaper editors, in conference meetings, jointly determine which stories will appear on the front page. Previous research on editorial gatekeeping has identified various standards of newsworthiness that serve as selection criteria. We focus on the actual practices through which gatekeeping decisions are rendered. We provide an overview of the primary phases of activity in conference meetings, identify various practices for promoting stories as page-one material, and analyze in detail one particular practice-verbal assessments of newsworthiness. We find that editors display a systematic preference for mildly favorable assessments over both stronger and weaker ones, apparently because restrained support enables them to maintain solidary relations with reporters and editorial colleagues. Moreover, assessment favorability is significantly associated with gate-keeping outcomes.

Notes