Nicholas Perez
Professor Gibson
Mass Comm 1307-001
07/01/2016
Essay Test One
1. Media has such an impact on our everyday lives whether it affects our way of
thinking, or the decisions we make, media definitely has an influence on everything we
do. Gatekeeping is a process where multiple people decide what information or news
will actually reach an audience. “A gatekeeper is any person or group that has control
over the message. All “mass communications” organizations have multiple gatekeepers
(Gibson Lecture June 6-12).
Agenda setting is another process the media uses to show an audience what is
important to think about. “The mass media may not tell us what to think but they surely
do tell us what to think about (Gibson lecture June 6-12). The amount of time that is
spent on a special story on TV or online draws our attention to that story longer and
makes us think about that story longer, as oppose to the 30 second weather segment
that just makes you think about how hot it will be for the day, and then you simply move
on to the next topic on your brain. The media has such a great impact on our minds
when we don’t even realize it.
2. The news will always be something that is controlled, even when there are live
broadcasts. The topics that are discussed on the news and certain programs are
