DIGITAL GATEKEEPING News media versus social media

This paper describes what has happened to the principles and practices of gatekeeping as digital technologies have spread inside and outside newsrooms; and it has a particular focus on news values among a new generation of gatekeepers who use social media to produce, publish and distribute news stories. The article builds theoretically on the concepts of gatekeeping and news values, and it is based empirically on a year-long study of the news processes related to the use of Facebook. Data material includes an analysis of how more than 200,000 news stories-that were published on the websites of major news organizations in Denmark from June 2011 to June 2012-were shared, recommended and commented upon in different social contexts. The article concludes by discussing some of the prevailing news values in the news media and the social media.