Gatekeepers in International News

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that international gatekeepers used various criteria, including proximity and conflict, to determine the newsworthiness of certain stories. Taking these under consideration, the current study used in-depth interviews with twenty-five editors and journalists representing six elite media in Athens, Greece. Through those interviews, the study attempted to trace intermedia influences, not only by other Greek media, but by European and global media. The study found that Greek editors rely on Greek sources, such as the Athenian Press Agency, more than they rely on foreign sources. Nevertheless, European influences are not negligible. The European editions of Time, Newsweek, and the French Le Monde and TV-5 appeared to be quite influential. The only contradiction to the proximity hypothesis was posed by the emergence of global television and especially CNN International, a source that broadcasts programs to more than 250 countries around the world.