View source for The Top Ten News: The Political and Economic Considerations in the Process of Gatekeeping in the Production of TEN (The Evening News)

ABSTRACT 
 
This study tried to determine the political and economic considerations in the 
process of gatekeeping in the production of TEN (The Evening News). It aimed to 
understand the practices and motivations involved in the regulation of information in the 
production of the program. The Gatekeeping Theory of Pamela Shoemaker was used as 
a guide and lens in understanding the production process of TEN through the four levels 
of gatekeeping analysis. On the other hand, Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman’s 
Propaganda Model was used as a lens in examining the three filters that influence the 
news coverage and overall content of the program. The researcher used participant 
observation and focused interviews as methods to gather data. She utilized maximum 
variation sampling in her nine-day observation period in the news department of TV5, 
and used purposive sampling for the focused interviews of some of the key players in 
the production of TEN. 

The researcher found out that the production of TEN starts when an event or 
issue is identified as newsworthy by the desk supervisors. The newsworthiness of a 
story depends on its relevance to the public, timeliness, or its human interest factor. 
Since the employees of the news department of TV5 are divided into three clusters— 
political, defense/security, and economy—there are different considerations, sources, 
Advertisers do not impose direct influences on the content of the program. In the 
first place, TEN does not have so many advertisers. However, the quest for advertisers 
causes the program’s executives to come up with ways to attract more viewers. They 
provide the audiences interesting news stories and segments, and give them 
opportunities to express their opinions and comments on certain issues. 

The researcher concluded that the political and economic considerations in the 
gatekeeping process of TEN are interrelated. The concentration of news coverage to the 
politically and economically affluent sources, careful angling and treatment on news that 
involve persons or institutions affiliated to the station and its owner, and the efforts to 
increase viewership through its unique format are steps towards achieving one goal— 
greater profits to keep the program on-air. 

The researcher recommends that studies on the TEN’s text should be conducted 
in order to determine the dominant ideologies that it propagates to the audiences. A 
comparative study on the previous and succeeding news programs of TV5 is also 
recommended to learn the differences of the programs in terms of content, format, and 
quality.  


Rocena, E. J. M. (2010). The Top Ten News: The Political and Economic Considerations 
in the Process of Gatekeeping in the Production of TEN (The Evening News), 
Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass 
Communication. 

View Thesis in [[Flipbooks_on_iskwiki|flipbook]]: [http://iskwiki.upd.edu.ph/flipbooks/TheEveningNews/ The Evening News] (UP Webmail Account required)

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