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Essay about Ethics and Gatekeeping in The Media

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Gatekeeping is “controlling access to goods, services, or information, usually applied by individuals or groups in hierarchical organizations. ” (CSA). As it applies to media, gatekeeping refers to the method in which information is filtered for distribution, this can be done through the internet, print or broadcasting. Due to the power that gatekeepers wield in controlling what we as the public read, hear or see, there are many ethical concerns to be considered and liberties to be safeguarded. Rupert Murdoch is a prime example of a gatekeeper. He is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of News Corporation. In 2010, News Corporation was the third-largest media conglomerate in terms of revenue, earning $24.73 billion dollars …show more content…

One in which a new CEO has been hired to take over News Corp. Meet Philippe Dauman. Dauman has been CEO and President of Viacom since 2006. He also served as Director of CBS from 2005-2006. Prior to Viacom, from 2000-2006 Dauman was CEO and Co-chairman of DND Capital Partners, L.L.C., “a private equity firm specializing in media and telecommunications investments” (Bloomberg). Needless to say, Dauman has more than enough experience to helm News Corp. Of all the numerous positions that Dauman has held during his illustrious career, his time as CEO at Viacom is likely the most influential and the position where he served as a gatekeeper. We will analyze and examine the choices that were made under his leadership at Viacom as a method for determining how he will manage News Corp. Viacom has numerous media holdings such as MTV, BET, CMT, Nickelodeon, Spike TV, VHI, Comedy Central, TV Land and Paramount Films. In his time as CEO of Viacom, Dauman has remained mostly behind the scenes. Unlike Murdoch who is often in the public eye, Dauman believes that being invisible gives him a competitive edge and causes his competitors to underestimate and overlook him (Bourgeault). He has brought unity to the company, by implementing a strategy of investing inwards and has seen his fair share of scandals. Viacom has been at the receiving end of racist allegations which have not stopped since Dauman took over the reigns. In August of 2007,

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