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Punditry vs. News:
How Fox News Programming
Shapes Americans’ Truth
The Role of Gatekeeping on Fox News Network
Katharine Sweigart, Advisor: Dr. Alison Dagnes
Spring 2020
What is Gatekeeping?
“A core activity of journalists, through the choices made in choosing, writing, editing,
and positioning information presented as news to the public (Hermida 2020).”
What do you cover and why?
●
Journalists evaluate the newsworthiness of the information provided in order to help
viewers understand the world around them (Schudson 2016)
News organizations are actually taking their cues from the audience and their
network’s editorial attitudes to determine what to cover → a shift from a commercial
objective to an editorial objective (Cherubini, Nielsen 2016)
Genesis of Research
PBS Newshour Role in Gatekeeping
Construction of a balanced news story is often subjective to its creator and
institution...and interviews with television journalists show that the definition of
“balance” widely varies (Benham 2019)
This public media , non-profit public broadcast channel emphasizes the importance of
universal access to information and balanced news coverage that does not exhibit an
overt bias
No ratings; No advertisements; Not reliant on audience ideology or demographics;
PBS Newshour was created purely to inform
Right-Wing Media Circle
A perceived “liberal bias” in mainstream media created a movement among
conservative outlets to function as a counterpoint to mainstream press
Right-Wing Media Circle: “a small circle, tightly closed, self-reinforcing, furious,
oppositional, and very different from their opposition (Dagnes 168)”
This “media bubble” consisting of a self-reinforcing narrative has grown in strength,
audience, and political power...to the point that they have spun off into a wholly
separate ideological communication system (Dagnes 168)
Fox News and Outrage Programming
Fox News is at the center of the right-wing media circle and a primary source for
outrage programming
● Delivering news is no longer the primary goal (Young 53)
● An attitude of fear, anger, and offense against the mainstream outlets (Young
52)
“By placing outrage hosts at the helm, Roger Ailes (former Fox News CEO) had
succeeded in creating a “news channel”that eschews actual journalism in favor of
‘personality’ and attitude (Young 57)”
Methodology
Methodology
Observed and analyzed eight programs:
FOUR (4) Fox News “news” programs
1.
THREE (3) Fox News “opinion” programs
Newshour contrasts to Fox News
PBS Newshour
In order to ensure consistency among all these
programs…
➔
A Block = “first block of the show, slated for the
biggest news stories of the day”
➔
Headline, talking points, time dedicated to
each story, graphics/visuals
The gatekeeping process on PBS
Programming
2.
The gatekeeping process between news
and opinion programs within Fox News
should have some variation, as well
PBS Newshour
PBS Newshour = the “gold standard” for ethical journalism and gatekeeping
●
“to provide viewers with intelligent, balanced, in-depth reporting and analysis of the most
important domestic and international issues of the day (PBS)”
Recorded Newshour
● 6 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday
● News coverage topics carried over into the following day because really
important news doesn’t change overnight
Fox News programming
News
The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino
(weekdays 2 p.m. EST)
Shepard Smith Reporting
(weekdays 3 p.m. EST)
Special Report with Bret Baier
(weekdays 6 p.m. EST)
The Story with Martha MacCallum
(weekdays 7 p.m. EST)
Punditry
Tucker Carlson Tonight
(weekdays 8 p.m. EST)
Hannity
(weekdays 9 p.m. EST)
The Ingraham Angle
(weekdays 10 p.m. EST)
Findings
Observation Timeline
Recorded & reviewed eight programs from
Sept. 2, 2019 until Dec. 5, 2019 every
Monday-Thursday (excluding holidays)
8 programs/day x 4 days/week x 14 weeks of
observations = 448 TOTAL hours
START
FINISH
Not included
Major Discrepancies
PBS Newshour
Fox News Programming
Included a summary of international news and events
each broadcast
Only focused on American politics
In October, Woodruff led with stories on Brexit
No news program ever mentioned Brexit, not even
once
During the California wildfires, PBS Newshour
covered the topic for over 20 minutes
Only Bret Baier mentioned California wildfires once in
the A block
Newshour rarely lead with stories focusing on the
politics of an event, but instead covered both sides of
the argument
The pundits almost exclusively based story selection off
of phrases like “Deep State,” “Abuse of Power,”
“Enemy,” and “Impeachment Hysteria” when referring
to Democrats
Consistent Narratives
Between October and December, PBS Newshour’s narrative remained consistent
when choosing stories
●
●
●
This is the topic
This is why it’s important
This is the impact it could have going forward
On Fox News Programming, the narrative between news and opinion shows were
similar, but story selection was always anti-liberal, pro-conservative or Pro-Trump
●
●
Focus on Trump’s accomplishments
Lack of journalistic integrity on the left
Specific Examples
In order to highlight the contrast between PBS Newshour’s gatekeeping function and
the editorial objective on Fox News programs.
The anniversary of 9/11
&
The Impeachment Trial/Inquiry
These examples are vital to understanding how PBS Newshour, Fox News news
programs, and Fox News opinion programs influence viewers’ information-gathering
process through headlines, graphics, and time dedicated to each story
9/11 Coverage -- Daily Briefing with Dana Perino
Headline
Time
Graphics
Narrative
“Trump discusses crackdown on
e-cigarettes after sixth death linked
to vaping”
00:00 - 00:04
mins
N/A
“At least five names on list to replace
Bolton”
00:04 - 00:09
mins
Dana Perino begins her
program discussing Trump’s
push of e-cig ban, and quickly
shifts to Trump’s thoughts on
John Bolton; not until the
end of A Block does she
discuss 9/11
“Poll: 32% voters feel safer from
Islamic terrorists under President
Trump”
00:09 - 00:11
mins
*Features
John Roberts
(WH corr.) &
former
George Bush
Admin.
9/11 Coverage -- Tucker Carlson Tonight
Headline
Time
Graphics
Narrative
“NY Times Blames 9/11 on Planes,
not Terrorists
D-Block
NYC Skyline
i.e. end of
episode
NY Times
tweet about
9/11
Tucker Carlson waits to
discuss the anniversary of
9/11 until the end of the
episode; focuses on t NY
Times and CNN coverage of
9/11, stating that “CNN
remembered 9/11 by trying to
distract its audience”
“CNN on 9/11: ‘Right-Wingers’ are
the Problem”
CNN anchor
covering 9/11
9/11 Coverage -- PBS Newshour
Headline
Time
Graphics
Narrative
“Remembering 9/11”
00:00 - 00:23
mins
9/11
Memorial in
NYC
Judy Woodruff presents
a PBS documentary
remembering first
responders, victims,a
and 9/11 memorials 18
years after the attack
9/11 Coverage -- Summary
PBS Newshour focused their entire broadcast on 9/11 Remembrance and highlighted
a nonpartisan view on the anniversary of the event
Daily Briefing with Dana Perino primarily focused on President Trump’s e-cigarette
ban, engaging the conservative audience
Tucker Carlson Tonight utilized the outrage method and insults to keep conservative
viewers appalled by the mainstream media
Special Report with
Bret Baier
October 7, 2019
“Impeach Inquiry: Trump calls proceedings ‘a
scam’ amid subpoenas”
( 2 minutes)
October 18, 2019
“What debate? Impeachment Inquiry
overshadows 2020 Dems”
(10 minutes)
October 22, 2019
“Impeachment Inquiry: Trump calls process ‘a
lynching’”
(5 minutes)
(Special Report with Bret Baier, October 2019)
The Ingraham Angle
October 7, 2019
“The Improper handling of impeachment push”
(7 minutes)
October 18 , 2019
“The Left ignores Trump’s Triumphs”
(5 minutes)
October 22, 2019
“Deep State’s Coordinated Effort to Take Down
Trump”
(20 minutes)
(The Ingraham Angle, October 2019)
PBS Newshour
In October 2019:
Headline: “Impeachment Inquiry”
Judy Woodruff and Newshour
Political Correspondents spent, on
average, 9 minutes each episode
discussing the Impeachment
Inquiry of President Trump
(PBS Newshour, Season 2019)
Impeachment Inquiry-- Summary
Newshour covered the process of the impeachment trial while Fox News covered
the politicization of the impeachment trial, rather than the process.
PBS Newshour emphasized that important news does not change overnight, but there are other
current event topics to be discussed
Special Report with Bret Baier highlights the importance of Impeachment, but the story angles are
always pro-conservative and mimic conservative pundit talking points
The Ingraham Angle is consistently Pro-Trump, antagonistic, and uses phrasing and graphics that
greatly influence affective polarization (Dagnes 192)
Conclusions
News & Punditry Lack Variation on Fox News Network
“Partisan media are (1) specifically triggering emotional (and thus irrational) responses from American
audiences because (2) the outrage industry is effective, successful, and profitable (Berry, Sobieraj 2014).”
Selective Exposure of certain stories and perspectives alter the news agenda
(A. Chakraborty, et. al. 2019)
Even if the narrative between news and punditry changes, it lacks significance because Fox
News’ gatekeeping function has drastically different filters than the gatekeeping practices held
by mainstream press
PBS Newshour
Fact-Based
Fox News
Programming
Variety of
perspectives
Balanced
Domestic &
International issues
The “peephole” Analogy
Fox News programming gatekeeping tactics:
1.
2.
3.
Tune In
Focus on the conservative ideology
Keep conservatives angry (Young)
Limited perspectives, self-reinforcing (Dagnes)
Fox News Network
Conservative
Aggressive
Oppositional
Pro-Trump
Consistent over all news and opinion programs, thus
putting it at the center of the right-wing media circle
By design, Fox News Network was created to
shape a specific “truth”
PBS Newshour is the only daily news program on an otherwise non-news public television channel
(Schudson 67); its reporters label themselves as “fact-finders, informing the public of the events
of the day from an objective perch (Dagnes 182)”
vs.
“Fox has always pushed a political message. But this angry, anxious tone is a new thing…[Since the
election of Trump], Fox is happy to deliver what the audience wants (Sommer 2018)
1.
2.
Deliver a pro-Trump message to their Trump loyal audience
Amplified their anti-government offensive to keep up with right-wing competition
Shaping a “truth” → Hannity
“Hannity has become must-see conservative television and the source for Trump supporters’ daily
dose of outrage” (Young 54)
His use of visuals and aggressive phrases are exclusively hostile toward the left
●
●
●
●
●
“Corruption & Deceit”
“Hate & Hysteria”
“Fantasies of the Left”
“Witch Hunt exposed”
“Collusion Hoax 2.0”
When graphics & outrage headlines dominate his program, gatekeeping is controlled by the
editorial attitude of the host rather than the newsworthiness of a story
Gatekeeping has evolved
Gatekeeping has evolved from purposely nonpartisan reporting to overtly partisan storytelling through
story selection (Schudson 67)
Mainstream Media
●
●
●
●
Interesting
Important
Resting on ratings
“Infotainment”
Fox News Programming
●
●
●
●
Emotional
Conservative
Outrage
Sole providers of truth
If PBS Newshour is the “gold standard” for ethical, unbiased gatekeeping practices,
then the specific gatekeeping tactics on Fox News Network are flawed.
References -- Academic Journals & Books
Anderson, C. W., Downie, L., & Schudson, M. (2016). The news media: what everyone needs to know. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Benham, J. (2019). Best Practices for Journalistic Balance: Gatekeeping, Imbalance and the Fake News Era, Journalism Practice, DOI: 10.1080/17512786.2019.1658538
Brexit deal: What just happened? (2019, October 17). Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50084450
Cherubini, F., Nielsen, R. K. (2015). Editorial analytics: How news media are developing and using audience data and metrics. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
Dagnes, A. (2019). Super mad at everything all the time: political media and our national anger. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
Grynbaum, M. M. (2019, October 11). Shepard Smith, Fox News Anchor, Abruptly Departs From Network. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/business/media/shepard-smith-fox-news.html
Hermida, A. (2020). Post-Publication Gatekeeping: The Interplay of Publics, Platforms, Paraphernalia, and Practices in the Circulation of News. Journalism & Mass
Communication Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699020911882
New York Film Academy. (2016, March 21). How To Stack A News Show. Retrieved April 9, 2020, from
https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/how-to-stack-a-news-show/
Young, D. G. (2020). Irony and outrage: the polarized landscape of rage, fear, and laughter in the United States. New York, NY, United States of America: Oxford University Press.
References -- Cable News Programs
Fox News Network. (2019). Hannity. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). Shepard Smith Reporting. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). Special Report with Bret Baier. Washington, D.C.
Fox News Network. (2019). The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). The Ingraham Angle. Washington, D.C.
Fox News Network. (2019). The Story with Martha MacCallum. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). The Story with Martha MacCallum. Washington, D.C.
Fox News Network. (2019). Tucker Carlson Tonight. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). Tucker Carlson Tonight. Washington, D.C.
PBS. (2019). PBS Newshour. Washington, D.C.
Punditry vs. News: How Fox News Programming Shapes Americans’ Truth
The role of Gatekeeping on Fox News Network
Katharine Sweigart
Wood Honors College
HON 399: Honors Independent Study
Dr. Alison Dagnes, Dr. Kim Klein
Spring 2020
Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1
Genesis of Research ………………………………………………………………………………2
Methodology………………………………………………………………………………………5
Findings…………………………………………………………………………………………...9
Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………………13
References………………………………………………………………………………………..16
Introduction
The art of storytelling goes back centuries, for humans have always been curious and
inquiring about the world around them. It wasn’t until the past four hundred years, though, that
Americans established a field centered on “regularly disseminating notice of and commentary
about topical events (Schudson 14).” This field, which would later be defined as journalism,
grew in the 1700s, and a set of different newspaper models allowed for a variety of published
materials to be presented to the general public. For example, state-issued newspapers were
disseminated to announce official government business, while periodicals consisting solely of
advertisements were presented to citizens, as well. In addition, the growth of a “propaganda
journal,” or a publication guided by a strong political opinion, is where one recognizes the
beginning of editorial publications and the rise of partisanship within American media (Schudson
15). Because newspapers were often aggregated from England and large publication companies
in the U.S., it was nearly impossible to escape the world of politics. As a result, the decisionmaking process of choosing what stories to publish was rarely controlled by media outlets.
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as journalism grew rapidly, especially
in urban centers of commerce and commotion, publishers noticed that there was a more effective
way to increase revenue and circulation rates (Schudson 21). The mass market appeal of “penny
papers,” which were cheap papers, flyers, articles or pamphlets sold on the street daily by
newsboys, allowed for a shift in newspaper content that appealed to the public’s values
(Schudson 21). This new gatekeeping process, defined by audience demographics and ideology
rather than content aggregation, would not only become an effective model up until the digital
age, but it would continue to feed the rise of political polarization in America (Schudson 21).
Leading up to the digital age, as newspapers and radio continued to assist Americans in forming
their “truth,” a new form of media grew in popularity and quickly dominated the information-
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gathering process. The rise of cable news and television news programs allowed Americans, yet
again, to influence news dissemination because when the audience is in control, they determine a
media organization’s success (Cherubini, Nielsen 2016).
Nearly fifty years ago, journalists looked after the general public, and were the ultimate
decision-makers when choosing what stories to present as news to the public (Hermida 2020).
Their jobs were difficult, but they remained in control. They were the gatekeepers of American
news. As gatekeepers, “journalists evaluated the newsworthiness of the information provided in
order to help viewers understand the world around them (Schudson 2016).” However, following
deregulation in the late 1980s, broadcasters didn’t have to choose stories that covered “both
sides” when it came to reporting about political ideologies or events (Young 49). This allowed
for the creation of Fox News Network, an overtly conservative news channel that counteracts the
“liberal” media presence and appeals to Americans’ conservative ideology (Young 13).
Genesis of Research
By following in the footsteps of the conservative radio movement of the 1950s and early
1960s, Fox News Network altered journalism’s gatekeeping function from explicitly fact-based to
story selection that is dependent on editorial attitudes ((Cherubini, Nielsen 2016). According to
Danna Young, media scholar and author of Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of
rage, fear, and laughter in the United States, Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes launched Fox
News as a “forum for conservative programming that tapped into the same aesthetics and outrage
as the early conservative radio voices[...] (Young 16).” With a network dedicated exclusively to
the conservative perspective, Fox News blurs the line between its news and punditry programs,
resulting in its right-wing media viewers labeling these conservative program opinions as
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“truth,” proving that the network’s gatekeeping function depends on forming and maintaining an
opinion rather than fact-based reporting.
In comparison, public broadcasting programming like PBS Newshour maintain the
traditional gatekeeping function, defined as “a core activity of journalists, through the choices
made in choosing, writing, editing, and positioning information presented as news to the public
(Hermida 2020).” Unlike its cable news competition, PBS Newshour emphasizes the importance
of universal access to information and balanced news coverage that does not exhibit an overt bias
(PBS). Although, the definition of “balance” widely varies, and interviews with television
journalists show that the construction of a balanced news story is often subjective to its creator
and its institution (Benham 2019). Nevertheless, PBS Newshour publishes a daily program
without the reliance of ratings, advertisements, or audience ideology--the non-profit public
broadcast channel was created purely to inform.
With PBS Newshour as the “gold standard,” one can understand the difference between
its straightforward news coverage compared to Fox News conservative news coverage. More
importantly, with PBS Newshour as a guideline for fact-based, unbiased gatekeeping, this
analysis can illustrate how news and opinion programming on Fox News lack variation in their
coverage of current events. Given that Fox News Network is home to two different forms of
programming, both of which are rooted in the editorial attitudes of the media organization,
delivering news is no longer the platform’s primary goal (Young 53). In fact, their dedication to
outrage programming, which promotes an attitude of anger, fear, and offense against the
mainstream outlets, has ultimately forced Fox News’ to adopt a new, flawed gatekeeping
function that opposes the gatekeeping process most journalists depend on (Dagnes). With data
and observational reports, this research illustrates how Fox News and PBS NewsHour present and
3
shape viewers’ understanding of American politics through two conflicting forms of
gatekeeping.
Prior to analyzing the methodology and findings of this observational research, it is
important to understand Fox News Network’s role in the right-wing media circle. The reason Fox
News has embraced a new form of gatekeeping is due to the political significance and strength of
a self-reinforcing, right-wing circle consisting of a multitude of conservative media outlets. Due
to a perceived “liberal bias” in the mainstream press, a movement among conservative outlets
was created to function as a counterpoint to mainstream press. While conservative media had
attempted to counteract the “liberal bias” in the past with talk radio and the creation of Fox News
in the late 90s, it wasn’t until the early 2000s, and more recently in the 2010s, that the right-wing
media bubble proved to be most effective. According to Alison Dagnes, professor of Political
Science and author of Super Mad At Everything All the Time: Political Media and our National
Anger, the right-wing media circle is a, “small circle, tightly closed, self-reinforcing, furious,
oppositional, and very different from the [mainstream press] (Dagnes 168).” By establishing a
presence of outrage programming through self-reinforcing, anti-liberal narratives for American
conservatives to depend on to form their “truth,” the right-wing media bubble has grown in
strength, presence, and political authority in today’s media environment. As a result, this media
bubble has forced itself into an entirely separate ideological communications system (Dagnes
168).
Moreover, with Fox News at the center of the right-wing media circle, viewers have
become disoriented by the endless array of conservative platforms and are unable to recognize
the difference between news and punditry. While Fox News brands a handful of its programs as
“news,” it is still rooted in conservative perspective. Consequently, Fox News news hosts and
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pundits assist in this confusion. In fact, research shows that people do not know the difference
between editorial and straightforward reporting, “between a commentator or pundit commenting
on something alongside a reporter who’s supposed to be providing facts (Farhi, 2017).” For
example, Fox News pundit Sean Hannity has labeled himself as a “opinion journalist,” and since
“opinion” and “journalist” ‘have contradictory definitions, this label is nonexistent (Dagnes 180).
Therefore, while Fox News has gained authority within the right-wing media circle and political
power among American media consumers, its dependence on the network’s editorial attitude has
caused this media organization to lose sight of the differentiation between news and punditry
when choosing which stories to present to the public, proving that Fox News gatekeeping
methods are defective.
Methodology
In order to fully understand the defective nature of Fox News’ gatekeeping, this research
required a comparative analysis between PBS Newshour and Fox News news and opinion
programming. Specifically, to compare the decision-making process that goes into each
channel’s content creation, eight programs were observed. This included four Fox News news
programs, three Fox News opinion programs, and PBS Newshour. In order to ensure consistency
among the eight programs, the majority of observations were limited to the A Block of each
show. By definition, the A Block is what broadcast news journalists refer to as the, “first block of
the show, slated for the biggest news stories of the day (New York Film Academy 2016).”
Essentially, the A Block is where viewers depend on the news, and where the stories deemed
“most important” capture the audience. As a result, proper gatekeeping practices explain why the
A Block is most important when shaping viewers “truth.” Since Fox News chooses stories the
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network deems most important in a different way than Newshour, viewers of each channel are
forming a dissimilar “truth.”
Specifically, within the A Block, observations would rely on headlines, talking points,
graphics and visuals, and the time dedicated to each story in order to form accurate conclusions.
Through the use of these specific tools, these programs would highlight how the story selection
process impacts the channel’s narrative it portrays to its viewers. Finally, before beginning the
observation process, two hypotheses were put forth: As stated previously, the gatekeeping
process on PBS Newshour contrasts to Fox News Programming. Secondly, the gatekeeping
process between news and opinion programs within Fox News should have some variation, as
well.
To begin with, PBS Newshour served as the “gold standard” for ethical journalism and
gatekeeping practices. The media organization’s mission statement is clear in its goal to provide
straightforward accounts of newsworthy events. According to PBS, “[Newshour looks to]
provide viewers with intelligent, balanced, in-depth reporting and analysis of the most important
domestic and international issues of the day (PBS 2020).” In order to develop the claim that
Newshour’s gatekeeping function differs from Fox News, I recorded PBS Newshour every
evening at 6 p.m. EST Monday through Thursdays (since softer, recurring “infotainment” topics
are typically covered on the weekends) and analyzed each episode’s storytelling techniques. That
said, because in-depth reporting and analysis is complex, I recognized that news coverage topics
on Newshour often carried over into the following day, since really important news does not
change overnight. In terms of proper gatekeeping practices, PBS Newshour and its host and
managing editor, Judy Woodruff, highlighted the importance of assisting viewers in forming a
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fact-based “truth” rather than relying on audience ideology and demographics, which is why so
much time was often dedicated to one specific current event.
In addition, I recorded four Fox News news programs, which aired throughout the
weekday. To be specific, these programs included The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino, Shepard
Smith Reporting, Special Report with Bret Baier, and The Story with Martha MacCallum. Like
Newshour, these programs were hour-long shows that intended to cover the most important
stories of the day. However, even though these programs were labeled as news, they often
described themselves as programs providing content that appealed to its viewers. Specifically,
The Story With Martha MacCallum states that each episode, Martha will “take you deeper than
ever before into the stories that matter to you (Fox News 2020).” Similar to Martha’s mission
statement, the network describes The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino as “an hour often
dominated by breaking news, White House press briefings, and more from Washington,” most of
which are dedicated to headlines relating to political issues (Fox News 2020). As a consequence,
the news programs airing throughout the day often repeated talking points and chose identical
stories within the A Block to preserve the conservative narrative on Fox News Network and
maintain their position at the center of the right-wing media circle.
In fact, despite the belief that Fox News hires “fact-finding” journalists, Fox News made
it clear when the network first began that they would employ hosts who would conform to the
pro-conservative standard. This is important to note, given that the network’s veteran chief news
anchor, Shepard Smith, abruptly left the network in October 2019 because of his decision to
critique the pro-conservative argument. Because Shepard Smith stood out on the conservative
platform for his “blunt-truth” coverage of the White House, his skepticism of President Trump
led to him leaving the network for good (Grynbaum, New York Times 2019).
7
According to New York Times’ reporter Michael Grynbaum, Smith’s story selection
techniques were closer in tone to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper than Fox News pundits Tucker
Carlson and Sean Hannity, leading his colleagues on Fox News to openly mock him on their own
programs (Grynbaum 2019). By highlighting the network’s rejection of a fact-based journalist
who was willing to go against the Pro-Trump narrative during his story selection process,
Smith’s departure further develops the notion that Fox News’ news programs abide by similar
gatekeeping techniques as the network’s opinion programs, and they continue to push a political
message by following the same conservative standard, as well—ultimately proving why Fox
News Network is so successful within the right-wing media circle. Most importantly, because of
this untimely departure, I would come to finish out my observations on three Fox News news
programs once Smith left the network.
Additionally, I recorded three punditry programs on Fox News that aired in the evenings
following prime-time programs and nightly news. Each evening, I observed and analyzed Tucker
Carlson Tonight, Hannity, and The Ingraham Angle, respectively. Each pundit was clear in their
goal to choose stories that were Pro-Trump and anti-liberal, and they adhered to Fox News’ goal
of providing a clear political message to its viewers. Their gatekeeping practices included ones
drastically different to PBS Newshour, specifically in terms of how they framed the stories
referenced in the A Block. For example, even if PBS Newshour, the Fox News news anchors and
the Fox News opinion hosts all chose stories based on a specific political issue, Carlson, Hannity,
and Ingraham always made sure their story selection was rooted in hostility toward the left. By
correlating anti-liberal, pro-conservative commentary with the “most important” stories of the
day, the three Fox News pundits were primarily appealing to their Trump-loyal audience.
8
Altogether, I reviewed all seven Fox News programs and PBS Newshour to form
conclusions about the gatekeeping practices on Fox News Network and to understand how story
selection plays a role in how Americans shape their truth. My observational timeline ran from
September 2, 2019, until December 5, 2019, every Monday through Thursdays (excluding
holidays and previously scheduled vacation time) resulting in a total of 448 hours of
observations. Through these observations, I was able to witness major discrepancies and
consistent narratives found on the respective programs.
Findings
Because PBS Newshour was established purely to inform viewers of national and
international events, and Fox News Network was created with a clear political goal, it is clear
why major discrepancies emerged during the observational process. First, while observing the
gatekeeping process, I noticed PBS Newshour included a summary of international news and
events each broadcast. To be specific, Judy Woodruff began each broadcast with what Newshour
deemed the “most important” story of the day, followed by a summary of significant
international events occurring simultaneously.
For example, on November 18, 2019, Woodruff concluded the A Block with updates
about Iranian unrest, Iraqi protests, Israeli settlements and a story about Kim Jong-un. This was
roughly around the same time President Trump’s impeachment hearings were starting, as well.
By covering international news within the first block of the program, Woodruff highlights
Newshour’s dedication to informing the public with balanced coverage of events from around the
world, despite the newsworthiness of the impeachment trial. To compare, Fox News news
programs only focused on events revolving around American politics. Even if a national or
international natural disaster or popular culture event took place, Fox News’ hosts always circled
9
back to the conservative implications of these respective events. To be clear, Fox News may have
covered a handful of international events throughout the observational timeline, but regardless of
the topic, story development heavily relied on the network’s editorial attitude.
Furthermore, in October 2019, Newshour was committed to providing stories related to
the Brexit Deal between the U.K. and the EU. In terms of significance, the Brexit Deal was
extremely complex and historical for the European nation. As stated by BBC reporters, “leaving
the EU is not as simple as it sounds. There are trade deals, travel restrictions, citizens' rights and
more to think about (BBC 2019).” Yet, on Fox News, when looking back at my observation chart
of headlines, not once did a news or opinion program mention the Brexit deal throughout the
month of October.
Once again, when wildfires were burning in California, Newshour covered the topic in
the A Block for approximately 20 minutes each broadcast. On Fox News, Bret Baier and Dana
Perino were the only hosts to mention California wildfires in the A Block. On the same day, a
one-on-one with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dominated MacCallum’s A Block, while
Hannity discussed the “whistleblower saga.” By providing evidence of the lack of coverage
about the California wildfires, it becomes clear that other hosts did not deem this catastrophic
event as the most newsworthy event of the day. Thus, when comparing PBS Newshour story
selection process to Fox News Network during times when historic events were taking place, one
can understand the dissimilarities in their gatekeeping processes and how Fox News forms a
different sense of “truth” for its viewers than viewers of PBS Newshour.
Moreover, when each channel bases story selection on their distinct gatekeeping
practices, the programs end up providing a consistent narrative in their reporting. When
referencing consistent narratives within my observations, I noticed that between October and
10
December, Newshour’s stories were chosen and presented the same way: Woodruff began the
news with “this is the topic,” followed by an analysis of why the topic is important, and came
full circle by presenting the impact the topic could have on the viewers’ everyday lives. On Fox
News news and opinion programming, the narrative of the stories they selected almost always
illustrated an anti-liberal, a pro-conservative, or a Pro-Trump perspective. Ergo, when Fox News
news programs are depicting the same narrative as the network’s opinion programs, there is no
longer variation between straightforward and opinion-based storytelling.
Two examples highlight the contrast between Newshour’s gatekeeping function and the
editorial objective of Fox News: First, on the anniversary of 9/11, Fox News news host Dana
Perino led her program with the headline “Trump discusses crackdown on e-cigarettes after six
death linked to vaping,” followed by a headline regarding replacement of former national
security advisor, John Bolton. It wasn’t until nine minutes into the A Block that Perino began
discussing the anniversary of 9/11, which is arguably one of the most important stories in
American history. However, when she did begin covering it, Perino referred to a poll
highlighting voters’ sense of safety from Islamic terrorists under the leadership of President
Trump. Later in the evening, Tucker Carlson avoided stories regarding the anniversary of 9/11
until the D Block, which is the last ten minutes of the program. Not only did Carlson prioritize
other news stories before that day’s momentous anniversary, but when he did cover the story he
did so by critiquing the mainstream media’s coverage.
Conversely, Judy Woodruff began Newshour with the headline, “Remember 9/11,” and
continued reporting this story for the first 23 minutes of the broadcast. The only reason her
coverage concluded was because she was forced to take the program to a commercial break.
Moreover, Newshour coverage of the anniversary of 9/11 included a presentation of the new PBS
11
documentary honoring first responders, victims, and memorial sites, essentially covering the
event through a nonpartisan lens. On the other hand, The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino
focused on stories about the anniversary of 9/11 that engaged the conservative audience, and
Tucker Carlson Tonight used the outrage method and insults toward the mainstream press
regarding their coverage of 9/11--which ultimately sets Fox News’ coverage apart from factbased storytelling techniques. Similar techniques were used throughout my observational
timeline between Fox News and Newshour, especially when each channel covered the
impeachment inquiry and trial of President Trump.
On October 7, 2019, Bret Baier’s handling of impeachment stories highlighted Trump’s
belief that the inquiry was a “scam,” and on October 18, Baier reported that the inquiry
overshadowed 2020 Democrats for ten minutes. Finally, on October 22, Baier led with a story
stating that President Trump referred to the impeachment process as a “lynching.” On the same
dates, Laura Ingraham led The Ingraham Angle with the headlines, “The Improper Handling of
Impeachment Push” for seven minutes, “The Left Ignores Trump’s Triumphs” for five minutes,
and the “Deep State’s Coordinated Effort to Take Down Trump” for over 20 minutes of the
program’s A Block. With Newshour as our “gold standard,” Woodruff’s analysis was paired with
the headline, “Impeachment Inquiry,” for an average of nine minutes each episode throughout
the month. More or less, that’s nearly 30 broadcasts with the majority of reporting centered
around the most basic headline.
To recap, Newshour covered the process of the impeachment trial while Fox News news
and opinion hosts covered the politicization of the impeachment trial, rather than the process.
Above all, Judy Woodruff emphasized the notion that important news does not change overnight.
Bret Baier had a pro-conservative narrative, and Laura Ingraham was always angry, always pro-
12
Trump and her graphics influenced “affective polarization” which perpetuates polarization and
hostility across partisan lines and elicits a strong emotional response. As a whole, there is a stark
comparison between coverage of important, newsworthy events between PBS Newshour and Fox
News Network. Fox News’ news hosts did not provide personal commentary about these events,
but nevertheless, Perino and Baier’s Pro-Trump narrative shows a lack of variation between their
story selection and their opinion-based counterpart, proving that Fox News Network establishes a
one-sided structure for Americans’ during their pursuit for the truth.
Conclusions
After researching, analyzing, and observing the eight programs, I was able to determine
that news and punditry programs on Fox News Network lack variation in terms of story selection
because they are primarily functioning as a partisan media outlet. By presenting themselves to
the public as a partisan media outlet, and by covering stories based on the hostility toward the
mainstream press, Fox News has cultivated a relationship with President Trump that results in
biased news coverage (Dagnes 194). According to Dagnes, “Trump refers to the network as an
extension of himself, using words like ‘we’ and ‘us’ about the network’s hosts (Dagnes 194).”
By creating a feedback loop allowing the President to advertise himself and his positions, as well
promote the network’s legitimacy, Fox News Network has found itself at the center of the rightwing media bubble. As a result, the right-wing media circle is able to push its antagonistic
mission to fuel anger and oppositional attitudes of its viewers, which illustrates why Fox News
programs lack variation in their reporting. The network is so profitable in its ability to adhere to a
pro-conservative narrative to the point that any deviation from this narrative would be
detrimental to its success.
13
According to media scholars Jeffrey Berry and Sarah Sobieraj, “partisan media are
specifically triggering emotional and thus irrational responses from American audiences because
the outrage industry is effective, successful and profitable (Berry, Sobieraj 2014).” To be
effective, Fox News tends to choose stories that reinforce its pre-existing views. Through this
practice of “selective exposure,” certain stories and perspectives alter the news agenda. In Fox
News’ case, American politics is the news, and nothing is deemed more important than what’s
happening on Capitol Hill. Therefore, even if the story selection process differs between news
and opinion programs, it doesn’t hold weight because the gatekeeping function on Fox News
Network drastically differs from the gatekeeping practices of outlets like PBS Newshour and the
mainstream press. This is because, by design, Fox News was created to shape a specific,
conservative “truth” for its audience.
Rather than labeling themselves as “fact-finders'' who report “objectively”, Fox News
reporters have always pushed a political message (Dagnes 182). PBS Newshour, is the only daily
news program on an otherwise non-news public television channel, which allows the program to
inform viewers about the news of the day from an objective perch (Schudson 67). Since the
elective of President Trump, Fox News’ primary goal is to deliver a pro-Trump message to a
Trump-loyal audience and to ensure that they are amplifying their anti-government offensive to
keep up with other right-wing media outlets (Sommer 18).
Fox News Network is motivated to push a Pro-Trump narrative since the election of the
45th President in 2016, and its angry, anxious tone allows its programs to avoid both sides of the
conversation. Specifically, Fox News is the primary example of adhering to what Dagnes and I
coined as the “peephole” analogy: Fox News news and opinion programs utilize very specific
gatekeeping tactics to the point that their viewers are only gaining a very small perspective of a
14
much more complex dialogue. Instead, PBS Newshour provides a wide-range perspective on a
variety of topics, and the host is transparent in her reporting.
Pictured above is a visual of PBS Newshour operating like a window, and Fox News operating like a peephole in terms of their
reporting of current events
According to Young, Fox wants viewers to tune in to their programming, and they want
to solely focus on the conservative perspective. Finally, and arguably most important to the
network’s gatekeeping tactics, Fox News wants to keep its conservative viewers angry. This
results in limited perspectives and self-reinforcing narratives from both news and opinion shows,
putting the network at the center of the right-wing media circle. To maintain this outrage
performance, Fox News hires hosts like Sean Hannity, a man who has become a primary source
of outrage for many Americans (Young 54). Through the use of visuals and aggressive phrases
like “Hate and Hysteria,” “Corruption and Deceit,” and “Fantasies of the Left,” Hannity has
dominated television ratings for years, which further develops the notion that gatekeeping is
controlled by the hosts opinion rather than the newsworthiness of the story.
In conclusion, we recognize that gatekeeping has evolved from purposely nonpartisan
reporting to overtly partisan storytelling. When following proper gatekeeping practices, the
mainstream press determines which stories to present as news to the public by deciding if stories
are interesting, important, will maintain high ratings, and remain within the realm of
“infotainment” (a combination of both information and entertainment). Fox News programming
deviates from these traditional gatekeeping techniques and instead concentrates on stories that
15
will elicit an emotional response and will add to the conservative mindset. Also, Fox News
programming insists on perpetuating the right-wing media agenda by instilling fear and outrage
in its viewers by claiming that the network is the sole provider of “truth.” Thus, if PBS Newshour
is “the gold standard” for ethical, unbiased gatekeeping practices, then the specific gatekeeping
tactics on Fox News Network are flawed because they are only choosing stories that will reaffirm
the conservative narrative.
References
Anderson, C. W., Downie, L., & Schudson, M. (2016). The news media: what everyone needs to
know. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Benham, J. (2019). Best Practices for Journalistic Balance: Gatekeeping, Imbalance and the
Fake News Era, Journalism Practice, DOI: 10.1080/17512786.2019.1658538
Brexit deal: What just happened? (2019, October 17). Retrieved April 20, 2020, from
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50084450
Cherubini, F., Nielsen, R. K. (2015). Editorial analytics: How news media are developing and
using audience data and metrics. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
Dagnes, A. (2019). Super mad at everything all the time: political media and our national anger.
Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
Fox News Network. (2019). Hannity. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). Shepard Smith Reporting. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). Special Report with Bret Baier. Washington, D.C.
Fox News Network. (2019). The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). The Ingraham Angle. Washington, D.C.
Fox News Network. (2019). The Story with Martha MacCallum. New York, NY.
16
Fox News Network. (2019). The Story with Martha MacCallum. Washington, D.C.
Fox News Network. (2019). Tucker Carlson Tonight. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). Tucker Carlson Tonight. Washington, D.C.
Grynbaum, M. M. (2019, October 11). Shepard Smith, Fox News Anchor, Abruptly Departs
From Network. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/business/media/shepard-smith-fox-news.html
Hermida, A. (2020). Post-Publication Gatekeeping: The Interplay of Publics, Platforms,
Paraphernalia, and Practices in the Circulation of News. Journalism & Mass
Communication Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699020911882
New York Film Academy. (2016, March 21). How To Stack A News Show. Retrieved April 9,
2020, from https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/how-to-stack-a-news-show/
PBS. (2019). PBS Newshour. Washington, D.C.
Young, D. G. (2020). Irony and outrage: the polarized landscape of rage, fear, and laughter in
the United States. New York, NY, United States of America: Oxford University Press.
17
How Fox News Programming
Shapes Americans’ Truth
The Role of Gatekeeping on Fox News Network
Katharine Sweigart, Advisor: Dr. Alison Dagnes
Spring 2020
What is Gatekeeping?
“A core activity of journalists, through the choices made in choosing, writing, editing,
and positioning information presented as news to the public (Hermida 2020).”
What do you cover and why?
●
Journalists evaluate the newsworthiness of the information provided in order to help
viewers understand the world around them (Schudson 2016)
News organizations are actually taking their cues from the audience and their
network’s editorial attitudes to determine what to cover → a shift from a commercial
objective to an editorial objective (Cherubini, Nielsen 2016)
Genesis of Research
PBS Newshour Role in Gatekeeping
Construction of a balanced news story is often subjective to its creator and
institution...and interviews with television journalists show that the definition of
“balance” widely varies (Benham 2019)
This public media , non-profit public broadcast channel emphasizes the importance of
universal access to information and balanced news coverage that does not exhibit an
overt bias
No ratings; No advertisements; Not reliant on audience ideology or demographics;
PBS Newshour was created purely to inform
Right-Wing Media Circle
A perceived “liberal bias” in mainstream media created a movement among
conservative outlets to function as a counterpoint to mainstream press
Right-Wing Media Circle: “a small circle, tightly closed, self-reinforcing, furious,
oppositional, and very different from their opposition (Dagnes 168)”
This “media bubble” consisting of a self-reinforcing narrative has grown in strength,
audience, and political power...to the point that they have spun off into a wholly
separate ideological communication system (Dagnes 168)
Fox News and Outrage Programming
Fox News is at the center of the right-wing media circle and a primary source for
outrage programming
● Delivering news is no longer the primary goal (Young 53)
● An attitude of fear, anger, and offense against the mainstream outlets (Young
52)
“By placing outrage hosts at the helm, Roger Ailes (former Fox News CEO) had
succeeded in creating a “news channel”that eschews actual journalism in favor of
‘personality’ and attitude (Young 57)”
Methodology
Methodology
Observed and analyzed eight programs:
FOUR (4) Fox News “news” programs
1.
THREE (3) Fox News “opinion” programs
Newshour contrasts to Fox News
PBS Newshour
In order to ensure consistency among all these
programs…
➔
A Block = “first block of the show, slated for the
biggest news stories of the day”
➔
Headline, talking points, time dedicated to
each story, graphics/visuals
The gatekeeping process on PBS
Programming
2.
The gatekeeping process between news
and opinion programs within Fox News
should have some variation, as well
PBS Newshour
PBS Newshour = the “gold standard” for ethical journalism and gatekeeping
●
“to provide viewers with intelligent, balanced, in-depth reporting and analysis of the most
important domestic and international issues of the day (PBS)”
Recorded Newshour
● 6 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday
● News coverage topics carried over into the following day because really
important news doesn’t change overnight
Fox News programming
News
The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino
(weekdays 2 p.m. EST)
Shepard Smith Reporting
(weekdays 3 p.m. EST)
Special Report with Bret Baier
(weekdays 6 p.m. EST)
The Story with Martha MacCallum
(weekdays 7 p.m. EST)
Punditry
Tucker Carlson Tonight
(weekdays 8 p.m. EST)
Hannity
(weekdays 9 p.m. EST)
The Ingraham Angle
(weekdays 10 p.m. EST)
Findings
Observation Timeline
Recorded & reviewed eight programs from
Sept. 2, 2019 until Dec. 5, 2019 every
Monday-Thursday (excluding holidays)
8 programs/day x 4 days/week x 14 weeks of
observations = 448 TOTAL hours
START
FINISH
Not included
Major Discrepancies
PBS Newshour
Fox News Programming
Included a summary of international news and events
each broadcast
Only focused on American politics
In October, Woodruff led with stories on Brexit
No news program ever mentioned Brexit, not even
once
During the California wildfires, PBS Newshour
covered the topic for over 20 minutes
Only Bret Baier mentioned California wildfires once in
the A block
Newshour rarely lead with stories focusing on the
politics of an event, but instead covered both sides of
the argument
The pundits almost exclusively based story selection off
of phrases like “Deep State,” “Abuse of Power,”
“Enemy,” and “Impeachment Hysteria” when referring
to Democrats
Consistent Narratives
Between October and December, PBS Newshour’s narrative remained consistent
when choosing stories
●
●
●
This is the topic
This is why it’s important
This is the impact it could have going forward
On Fox News Programming, the narrative between news and opinion shows were
similar, but story selection was always anti-liberal, pro-conservative or Pro-Trump
●
●
Focus on Trump’s accomplishments
Lack of journalistic integrity on the left
Specific Examples
In order to highlight the contrast between PBS Newshour’s gatekeeping function and
the editorial objective on Fox News programs.
The anniversary of 9/11
&
The Impeachment Trial/Inquiry
These examples are vital to understanding how PBS Newshour, Fox News news
programs, and Fox News opinion programs influence viewers’ information-gathering
process through headlines, graphics, and time dedicated to each story
9/11 Coverage -- Daily Briefing with Dana Perino
Headline
Time
Graphics
Narrative
“Trump discusses crackdown on
e-cigarettes after sixth death linked
to vaping”
00:00 - 00:04
mins
N/A
“At least five names on list to replace
Bolton”
00:04 - 00:09
mins
Dana Perino begins her
program discussing Trump’s
push of e-cig ban, and quickly
shifts to Trump’s thoughts on
John Bolton; not until the
end of A Block does she
discuss 9/11
“Poll: 32% voters feel safer from
Islamic terrorists under President
Trump”
00:09 - 00:11
mins
*Features
John Roberts
(WH corr.) &
former
George Bush
Admin.
9/11 Coverage -- Tucker Carlson Tonight
Headline
Time
Graphics
Narrative
“NY Times Blames 9/11 on Planes,
not Terrorists
D-Block
NYC Skyline
i.e. end of
episode
NY Times
tweet about
9/11
Tucker Carlson waits to
discuss the anniversary of
9/11 until the end of the
episode; focuses on t NY
Times and CNN coverage of
9/11, stating that “CNN
remembered 9/11 by trying to
distract its audience”
“CNN on 9/11: ‘Right-Wingers’ are
the Problem”
CNN anchor
covering 9/11
9/11 Coverage -- PBS Newshour
Headline
Time
Graphics
Narrative
“Remembering 9/11”
00:00 - 00:23
mins
9/11
Memorial in
NYC
Judy Woodruff presents
a PBS documentary
remembering first
responders, victims,a
and 9/11 memorials 18
years after the attack
9/11 Coverage -- Summary
PBS Newshour focused their entire broadcast on 9/11 Remembrance and highlighted
a nonpartisan view on the anniversary of the event
Daily Briefing with Dana Perino primarily focused on President Trump’s e-cigarette
ban, engaging the conservative audience
Tucker Carlson Tonight utilized the outrage method and insults to keep conservative
viewers appalled by the mainstream media
Special Report with
Bret Baier
October 7, 2019
“Impeach Inquiry: Trump calls proceedings ‘a
scam’ amid subpoenas”
( 2 minutes)
October 18, 2019
“What debate? Impeachment Inquiry
overshadows 2020 Dems”
(10 minutes)
October 22, 2019
“Impeachment Inquiry: Trump calls process ‘a
lynching’”
(5 minutes)
(Special Report with Bret Baier, October 2019)
The Ingraham Angle
October 7, 2019
“The Improper handling of impeachment push”
(7 minutes)
October 18 , 2019
“The Left ignores Trump’s Triumphs”
(5 minutes)
October 22, 2019
“Deep State’s Coordinated Effort to Take Down
Trump”
(20 minutes)
(The Ingraham Angle, October 2019)
PBS Newshour
In October 2019:
Headline: “Impeachment Inquiry”
Judy Woodruff and Newshour
Political Correspondents spent, on
average, 9 minutes each episode
discussing the Impeachment
Inquiry of President Trump
(PBS Newshour, Season 2019)
Impeachment Inquiry-- Summary
Newshour covered the process of the impeachment trial while Fox News covered
the politicization of the impeachment trial, rather than the process.
PBS Newshour emphasized that important news does not change overnight, but there are other
current event topics to be discussed
Special Report with Bret Baier highlights the importance of Impeachment, but the story angles are
always pro-conservative and mimic conservative pundit talking points
The Ingraham Angle is consistently Pro-Trump, antagonistic, and uses phrasing and graphics that
greatly influence affective polarization (Dagnes 192)
Conclusions
News & Punditry Lack Variation on Fox News Network
“Partisan media are (1) specifically triggering emotional (and thus irrational) responses from American
audiences because (2) the outrage industry is effective, successful, and profitable (Berry, Sobieraj 2014).”
Selective Exposure of certain stories and perspectives alter the news agenda
(A. Chakraborty, et. al. 2019)
Even if the narrative between news and punditry changes, it lacks significance because Fox
News’ gatekeeping function has drastically different filters than the gatekeeping practices held
by mainstream press
PBS Newshour
Fact-Based
Fox News
Programming
Variety of
perspectives
Balanced
Domestic &
International issues
The “peephole” Analogy
Fox News programming gatekeeping tactics:
1.
2.
3.
Tune In
Focus on the conservative ideology
Keep conservatives angry (Young)
Limited perspectives, self-reinforcing (Dagnes)
Fox News Network
Conservative
Aggressive
Oppositional
Pro-Trump
Consistent over all news and opinion programs, thus
putting it at the center of the right-wing media circle
By design, Fox News Network was created to
shape a specific “truth”
PBS Newshour is the only daily news program on an otherwise non-news public television channel
(Schudson 67); its reporters label themselves as “fact-finders, informing the public of the events
of the day from an objective perch (Dagnes 182)”
vs.
“Fox has always pushed a political message. But this angry, anxious tone is a new thing…[Since the
election of Trump], Fox is happy to deliver what the audience wants (Sommer 2018)
1.
2.
Deliver a pro-Trump message to their Trump loyal audience
Amplified their anti-government offensive to keep up with right-wing competition
Shaping a “truth” → Hannity
“Hannity has become must-see conservative television and the source for Trump supporters’ daily
dose of outrage” (Young 54)
His use of visuals and aggressive phrases are exclusively hostile toward the left
●
●
●
●
●
“Corruption & Deceit”
“Hate & Hysteria”
“Fantasies of the Left”
“Witch Hunt exposed”
“Collusion Hoax 2.0”
When graphics & outrage headlines dominate his program, gatekeeping is controlled by the
editorial attitude of the host rather than the newsworthiness of a story
Gatekeeping has evolved
Gatekeeping has evolved from purposely nonpartisan reporting to overtly partisan storytelling through
story selection (Schudson 67)
Mainstream Media
●
●
●
●
Interesting
Important
Resting on ratings
“Infotainment”
Fox News Programming
●
●
●
●
Emotional
Conservative
Outrage
Sole providers of truth
If PBS Newshour is the “gold standard” for ethical, unbiased gatekeeping practices,
then the specific gatekeeping tactics on Fox News Network are flawed.
References -- Academic Journals & Books
Anderson, C. W., Downie, L., & Schudson, M. (2016). The news media: what everyone needs to know. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Benham, J. (2019). Best Practices for Journalistic Balance: Gatekeeping, Imbalance and the Fake News Era, Journalism Practice, DOI: 10.1080/17512786.2019.1658538
Brexit deal: What just happened? (2019, October 17). Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50084450
Cherubini, F., Nielsen, R. K. (2015). Editorial analytics: How news media are developing and using audience data and metrics. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
Dagnes, A. (2019). Super mad at everything all the time: political media and our national anger. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
Grynbaum, M. M. (2019, October 11). Shepard Smith, Fox News Anchor, Abruptly Departs From Network. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/business/media/shepard-smith-fox-news.html
Hermida, A. (2020). Post-Publication Gatekeeping: The Interplay of Publics, Platforms, Paraphernalia, and Practices in the Circulation of News. Journalism & Mass
Communication Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699020911882
New York Film Academy. (2016, March 21). How To Stack A News Show. Retrieved April 9, 2020, from
https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/how-to-stack-a-news-show/
Young, D. G. (2020). Irony and outrage: the polarized landscape of rage, fear, and laughter in the United States. New York, NY, United States of America: Oxford University Press.
References -- Cable News Programs
Fox News Network. (2019). Hannity. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). Shepard Smith Reporting. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). Special Report with Bret Baier. Washington, D.C.
Fox News Network. (2019). The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). The Ingraham Angle. Washington, D.C.
Fox News Network. (2019). The Story with Martha MacCallum. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). The Story with Martha MacCallum. Washington, D.C.
Fox News Network. (2019). Tucker Carlson Tonight. New York, NY.
Fox News Network. (2019). Tucker Carlson Tonight. Washington, D.C.
PBS. (2019). PBS Newshour. Washington, D.C.
Punditry vs. News: How Fox News Programming Shapes Americans’ Truth
The role of Gatekeeping on Fox News Network
Katharine Sweigart
Wood Honors College
HON 399: Honors Independent Study
Dr. Alison Dagnes, Dr. Kim Klein
Spring 2020
Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1
Genesis of Research ………………………………………………………………………………2
Methodology………………………………………………………………………………………5
Findings…………………………………………………………………………………………...9
Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………………13
References………………………………………………………………………………………..16
Introduction
The art of storytelling goes back centuries, for humans have always been curious and
inquiring about the world around them. It wasn’t until the past four hundred years, though, that
Americans established a field centered on “regularly disseminating notice of and commentary
about topical events (Schudson 14).” This field, which would later be defined as journalism,
grew in the 1700s, and a set of different newspaper models allowed for a variety of published
materials to be presented to the general public. For example, state-issued newspapers were
disseminated to announce official government business, while periodicals consisting solely of
advertisements were presented to citizens, as well. In addition, the growth of a “propaganda
journal,” or a publication guided by a strong political opinion, is where one recognizes the
beginning of editorial publications and the rise of partisanship within American media (Schudson
15). Because newspapers were often aggregated from England and large publication companies
in the U.S., it was nearly impossible to escape the world of politics. As a result, the decisionmaking process of choosing what stories to publish was rarely controlled by media outlets.
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as journalism grew rapidly, especially
in urban centers of commerce and commotion, publishers noticed that there was a more effective
way to increase revenue and circulation rates (Schudson 21). The mass market appeal of “penny
papers,” which were cheap papers, flyers, articles or pamphlets sold on the street daily by
newsboys, allowed for a shift in newspaper content that appealed to the public’s values
(Schudson 21). This new gatekeeping process, defined by audience demographics and ideology
rather than content aggregation, would not only become an effective model up until the digital
age, but it would continue to feed the rise of political polarization in America (Schudson 21).
Leading up to the digital age, as newspapers and radio continued to assist Americans in forming
their “truth,” a new form of media grew in popularity and quickly dominated the information-
1
gathering process. The rise of cable news and television news programs allowed Americans, yet
again, to influence news dissemination because when the audience is in control, they determine a
media organization’s success (Cherubini, Nielsen 2016).
Nearly fifty years ago, journalists looked after the general public, and were the ultimate
decision-makers when choosing what stories to present as news to the public (Hermida 2020).
Their jobs were difficult, but they remained in control. They were the gatekeepers of American
news. As gatekeepers, “journalists evaluated the newsworthiness of the information provided in
order to help viewers understand the world around them (Schudson 2016).” However, following
deregulation in the late 1980s, broadcasters didn’t have to choose stories that covered “both
sides” when it came to reporting about political ideologies or events (Young 49). This allowed
for the creation of Fox News Network, an overtly conservative news channel that counteracts the
“liberal” media presence and appeals to Americans’ conservative ideology (Young 13).
Genesis of Research
By following in the footsteps of the conservative radio movement of the 1950s and early
1960s, Fox News Network altered journalism’s gatekeeping function from explicitly fact-based to
story selection that is dependent on editorial attitudes ((Cherubini, Nielsen 2016). According to
Danna Young, media scholar and author of Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of
rage, fear, and laughter in the United States, Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes launched Fox
News as a “forum for conservative programming that tapped into the same aesthetics and outrage
as the early conservative radio voices[...] (Young 16).” With a network dedicated exclusively to
the conservative perspective, Fox News blurs the line between its news and punditry programs,
resulting in its right-wing media viewers labeling these conservative program opinions as
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“truth,” proving that the network’s gatekeeping function depends on forming and maintaining an
opinion rather than fact-based reporting.
In comparison, public broadcasting programming like PBS Newshour maintain the
traditional gatekeeping function, defined as “a core activity of journalists, through the choices
made in choosing, writing, editing, and positioning information presented as news to the public
(Hermida 2020).” Unlike its cable news competition, PBS Newshour emphasizes the importance
of universal access to information and balanced news coverage that does not exhibit an overt bias
(PBS). Although, the definition of “balance” widely varies, and interviews with television
journalists show that the construction of a balanced news story is often subjective to its creator
and its institution (Benham 2019). Nevertheless, PBS Newshour publishes a daily program
without the reliance of ratings, advertisements, or audience ideology--the non-profit public
broadcast channel was created purely to inform.
With PBS Newshour as the “gold standard,” one can understand the difference between
its straightforward news coverage compared to Fox News conservative news coverage. More
importantly, with PBS Newshour as a guideline for fact-based, unbiased gatekeeping, this
analysis can illustrate how news and opinion programming on Fox News lack variation in their
coverage of current events. Given that Fox News Network is home to two different forms of
programming, both of which are rooted in the editorial attitudes of the media organization,
delivering news is no longer the platform’s primary goal (Young 53). In fact, their dedication to
outrage programming, which promotes an attitude of anger, fear, and offense against the
mainstream outlets, has ultimately forced Fox News’ to adopt a new, flawed gatekeeping
function that opposes the gatekeeping process most journalists depend on (Dagnes). With data
and observational reports, this research illustrates how Fox News and PBS NewsHour present and
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shape viewers’ understanding of American politics through two conflicting forms of
gatekeeping.
Prior to analyzing the methodology and findings of this observational research, it is
important to understand Fox News Network’s role in the right-wing media circle. The reason Fox
News has embraced a new form of gatekeeping is due to the political significance and strength of
a self-reinforcing, right-wing circle consisting of a multitude of conservative media outlets. Due
to a perceived “liberal bias” in the mainstream press, a movement among conservative outlets
was created to function as a counterpoint to mainstream press. While conservative media had
attempted to counteract the “liberal bias” in the past with talk radio and the creation of Fox News
in the late 90s, it wasn’t until the early 2000s, and more recently in the 2010s, that the right-wing
media bubble proved to be most effective. According to Alison Dagnes, professor of Political
Science and author of Super Mad At Everything All the Time: Political Media and our National
Anger, the right-wing media circle is a, “small circle, tightly closed, self-reinforcing, furious,
oppositional, and very different from the [mainstream press] (Dagnes 168).” By establishing a
presence of outrage programming through self-reinforcing, anti-liberal narratives for American
conservatives to depend on to form their “truth,” the right-wing media bubble has grown in
strength, presence, and political authority in today’s media environment. As a result, this media
bubble has forced itself into an entirely separate ideological communications system (Dagnes
168).
Moreover, with Fox News at the center of the right-wing media circle, viewers have
become disoriented by the endless array of conservative platforms and are unable to recognize
the difference between news and punditry. While Fox News brands a handful of its programs as
“news,” it is still rooted in conservative perspective. Consequently, Fox News news hosts and
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pundits assist in this confusion. In fact, research shows that people do not know the difference
between editorial and straightforward reporting, “between a commentator or pundit commenting
on something alongside a reporter who’s supposed to be providing facts (Farhi, 2017).” For
example, Fox News pundit Sean Hannity has labeled himself as a “opinion journalist,” and since
“opinion” and “journalist” ‘have contradictory definitions, this label is nonexistent (Dagnes 180).
Therefore, while Fox News has gained authority within the right-wing media circle and political
power among American media consumers, its dependence on the network’s editorial attitude has
caused this media organization to lose sight of the differentiation between news and punditry
when choosing which stories to present to the public, proving that Fox News gatekeeping
methods are defective.
Methodology
In order to fully understand the defective nature of Fox News’ gatekeeping, this research
required a comparative analysis between PBS Newshour and Fox News news and opinion
programming. Specifically, to compare the decision-making process that goes into each
channel’s content creation, eight programs were observed. This included four Fox News news
programs, three Fox News opinion programs, and PBS Newshour. In order to ensure consistency
among the eight programs, the majority of observations were limited to the A Block of each
show. By definition, the A Block is what broadcast news journalists refer to as the, “first block of
the show, slated for the biggest news stories of the day (New York Film Academy 2016).”
Essentially, the A Block is where viewers depend on the news, and where the stories deemed
“most important” capture the audience. As a result, proper gatekeeping practices explain why the
A Block is most important when shaping viewers “truth.” Since Fox News chooses stories the
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network deems most important in a different way than Newshour, viewers of each channel are
forming a dissimilar “truth.”
Specifically, within the A Block, observations would rely on headlines, talking points,
graphics and visuals, and the time dedicated to each story in order to form accurate conclusions.
Through the use of these specific tools, these programs would highlight how the story selection
process impacts the channel’s narrative it portrays to its viewers. Finally, before beginning the
observation process, two hypotheses were put forth: As stated previously, the gatekeeping
process on PBS Newshour contrasts to Fox News Programming. Secondly, the gatekeeping
process between news and opinion programs within Fox News should have some variation, as
well.
To begin with, PBS Newshour served as the “gold standard” for ethical journalism and
gatekeeping practices. The media organization’s mission statement is clear in its goal to provide
straightforward accounts of newsworthy events. According to PBS, “[Newshour looks to]
provide viewers with intelligent, balanced, in-depth reporting and analysis of the most important
domestic and international issues of the day (PBS 2020).” In order to develop the claim that
Newshour’s gatekeeping function differs from Fox News, I recorded PBS Newshour every
evening at 6 p.m. EST Monday through Thursdays (since softer, recurring “infotainment” topics
are typically covered on the weekends) and analyzed each episode’s storytelling techniques. That
said, because in-depth reporting and analysis is complex, I recognized that news coverage topics
on Newshour often carried over into the following day, since really important news does not
change overnight. In terms of proper gatekeeping practices, PBS Newshour and its host and
managing editor, Judy Woodruff, highlighted the importance of assisting viewers in forming a
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fact-based “truth” rather than relying on audience ideology and demographics, which is why so
much time was often dedicated to one specific current event.
In addition, I recorded four Fox News news programs, which aired throughout the
weekday. To be specific, these programs included The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino, Shepard
Smith Reporting, Special Report with Bret Baier, and The Story with Martha MacCallum. Like
Newshour, these programs were hour-long shows that intended to cover the most important
stories of the day. However, even though these programs were labeled as news, they often
described themselves as programs providing content that appealed to its viewers. Specifically,
The Story With Martha MacCallum states that each episode, Martha will “take you deeper than
ever before into the stories that matter to you (Fox News 2020).” Similar to Martha’s mission
statement, the network describes The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino as “an hour often
dominated by breaking news, White House press briefings, and more from Washington,” most of
which are dedicated to headlines relating to political issues (Fox News 2020). As a consequence,
the news programs airing throughout the day often repeated talking points and chose identical
stories within the A Block to preserve the conservative narrative on Fox News Network and
maintain their position at the center of the right-wing media circle.
In fact, despite the belief that Fox News hires “fact-finding” journalists, Fox News made
it clear when the network first began that they would employ hosts who would conform to the
pro-conservative standard. This is important to note, given that the network’s veteran chief news
anchor, Shepard Smith, abruptly left the network in October 2019 because of his decision to
critique the pro-conservative argument. Because Shepard Smith stood out on the conservative
platform for his “blunt-truth” coverage of the White House, his skepticism of President Trump
led to him leaving the network for good (Grynbaum, New York Times 2019).
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According to New York Times’ reporter Michael Grynbaum, Smith’s story selection
techniques were closer in tone to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper than Fox News pundits Tucker
Carlson and Sean Hannity, leading his colleagues on Fox News to openly mock him on their own
programs (Grynbaum 2019). By highlighting the network’s rejection of a fact-based journalist
who was willing to go against the Pro-Trump narrative during his story selection process,
Smith’s departure further develops the notion that Fox News’ news programs abide by similar
gatekeeping techniques as the network’s opinion programs, and they continue to push a political
message by following the same conservative standard, as well—ultimately proving why Fox
News Network is so successful within the right-wing media circle. Most importantly, because of
this untimely departure, I would come to finish out my observations on three Fox News news
programs once Smith left the network.
Additionally, I recorded three punditry programs on Fox News that aired in the evenings
following prime-time programs and nightly news. Each evening, I observed and analyzed Tucker
Carlson Tonight, Hannity, and The Ingraham Angle, respectively. Each pundit was clear in their
goal to choose stories that were Pro-Trump and anti-liberal, and they adhered to Fox News’ goal
of providing a clear political message to its viewers. Their gatekeeping practices included ones
drastically different to PBS Newshour, specifically in terms of how they framed the stories
referenced in the A Block. For example, even if PBS Newshour, the Fox News news anchors and
the Fox News opinion hosts all chose stories based on a specific political issue, Carlson, Hannity,
and Ingraham always made sure their story selection was rooted in hostility toward the left. By
correlating anti-liberal, pro-conservative commentary with the “most important” stories of the
day, the three Fox News pundits were primarily appealing to their Trump-loyal audience.
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Altogether, I reviewed all seven Fox News programs and PBS Newshour to form
conclusions about the gatekeeping practices on Fox News Network and to understand how story
selection plays a role in how Americans shape their truth. My observational timeline ran from
September 2, 2019, until December 5, 2019, every Monday through Thursdays (excluding
holidays and previously scheduled vacation time) resulting in a total of 448 hours of
observations. Through these observations, I was able to witness major discrepancies and
consistent narratives found on the respective programs.
Findings
Because PBS Newshour was established purely to inform viewers of national and
international events, and Fox News Network was created with a clear political goal, it is clear
why major discrepancies emerged during the observational process. First, while observing the
gatekeeping process, I noticed PBS Newshour included a summary of international news and
events each broadcast. To be specific, Judy Woodruff began each broadcast with what Newshour
deemed the “most important” story of the day, followed by a summary of significant
international events occurring simultaneously.
For example, on November 18, 2019, Woodruff concluded the A Block with updates
about Iranian unrest, Iraqi protests, Israeli settlements and a story about Kim Jong-un. This was
roughly around the same time President Trump’s impeachment hearings were starting, as well.
By covering international news within the first block of the program, Woodruff highlights
Newshour’s dedication to informing the public with balanced coverage of events from around the
world, despite the newsworthiness of the impeachment trial. To compare, Fox News news
programs only focused on events revolving around American politics. Even if a national or
international natural disaster or popular culture event took place, Fox News’ hosts always circled
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back to the conservative implications of these respective events. To be clear, Fox News may have
covered a handful of international events throughout the observational timeline, but regardless of
the topic, story development heavily relied on the network’s editorial attitude.
Furthermore, in October 2019, Newshour was committed to providing stories related to
the Brexit Deal between the U.K. and the EU. In terms of significance, the Brexit Deal was
extremely complex and historical for the European nation. As stated by BBC reporters, “leaving
the EU is not as simple as it sounds. There are trade deals, travel restrictions, citizens' rights and
more to think about (BBC 2019).” Yet, on Fox News, when looking back at my observation chart
of headlines, not once did a news or opinion program mention the Brexit deal throughout the
month of October.
Once again, when wildfires were burning in California, Newshour covered the topic in
the A Block for approximately 20 minutes each broadcast. On Fox News, Bret Baier and Dana
Perino were the only hosts to mention California wildfires in the A Block. On the same day, a
one-on-one with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dominated MacCallum’s A Block, while
Hannity discussed the “whistleblower saga.” By providing evidence of the lack of coverage
about the California wildfires, it becomes clear that other hosts did not deem this catastrophic
event as the most newsworthy event of the day. Thus, when comparing PBS Newshour story
selection process to Fox News Network during times when historic events were taking place, one
can understand the dissimilarities in their gatekeeping processes and how Fox News forms a
different sense of “truth” for its viewers than viewers of PBS Newshour.
Moreover, when each channel bases story selection on their distinct gatekeeping
practices, the programs end up providing a consistent narrative in their reporting. When
referencing consistent narratives within my observations, I noticed that between October and
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December, Newshour’s stories were chosen and presented the same way: Woodruff began the
news with “this is the topic,” followed by an analysis of why the topic is important, and came
full circle by presenting the impact the topic could have on the viewers’ everyday lives. On Fox
News news and opinion programming, the narrative of the stories they selected almost always
illustrated an anti-liberal, a pro-conservative, or a Pro-Trump perspective. Ergo, when Fox News
news programs are depicting the same narrative as the network’s opinion programs, there is no
longer variation between straightforward and opinion-based storytelling.
Two examples highlight the contrast between Newshour’s gatekeeping function and the
editorial objective of Fox News: First, on the anniversary of 9/11, Fox News news host Dana
Perino led her program with the headline “Trump discusses crackdown on e-cigarettes after six
death linked to vaping,” followed by a headline regarding replacement of former national
security advisor, John Bolton. It wasn’t until nine minutes into the A Block that Perino began
discussing the anniversary of 9/11, which is arguably one of the most important stories in
American history. However, when she did begin covering it, Perino referred to a poll
highlighting voters’ sense of safety from Islamic terrorists under the leadership of President
Trump. Later in the evening, Tucker Carlson avoided stories regarding the anniversary of 9/11
until the D Block, which is the last ten minutes of the program. Not only did Carlson prioritize
other news stories before that day’s momentous anniversary, but when he did cover the story he
did so by critiquing the mainstream media’s coverage.
Conversely, Judy Woodruff began Newshour with the headline, “Remember 9/11,” and
continued reporting this story for the first 23 minutes of the broadcast. The only reason her
coverage concluded was because she was forced to take the program to a commercial break.
Moreover, Newshour coverage of the anniversary of 9/11 included a presentation of the new PBS
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documentary honoring first responders, victims, and memorial sites, essentially covering the
event through a nonpartisan lens. On the other hand, The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino
focused on stories about the anniversary of 9/11 that engaged the conservative audience, and
Tucker Carlson Tonight used the outrage method and insults toward the mainstream press
regarding their coverage of 9/11--which ultimately sets Fox News’ coverage apart from factbased storytelling techniques. Similar techniques were used throughout my observational
timeline between Fox News and Newshour, especially when each channel covered the
impeachment inquiry and trial of President Trump.
On October 7, 2019, Bret Baier’s handling of impeachment stories highlighted Trump’s
belief that the inquiry was a “scam,” and on October 18, Baier reported that the inquiry
overshadowed 2020 Democrats for ten minutes. Finally, on October 22, Baier led with a story
stating that President Trump referred to the impeachment process as a “lynching.” On the same
dates, Laura Ingraham led The Ingraham Angle with the headlines, “The Improper Handling of
Impeachment Push” for seven minutes, “The Left Ignores Trump’s Triumphs” for five minutes,
and the “Deep State’s Coordinated Effort to Take Down Trump” for over 20 minutes of the
program’s A Block. With Newshour as our “gold standard,” Woodruff’s analysis was paired with
the headline, “Impeachment Inquiry,” for an average of nine minutes each episode throughout
the month. More or less, that’s nearly 30 broadcasts with the majority of reporting centered
around the most basic headline.
To recap, Newshour covered the process of the impeachment trial while Fox News news
and opinion hosts covered the politicization of the impeachment trial, rather than the process.
Above all, Judy Woodruff emphasized the notion that important news does not change overnight.
Bret Baier had a pro-conservative narrative, and Laura Ingraham was always angry, always pro-
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Trump and her graphics influenced “affective polarization” which perpetuates polarization and
hostility across partisan lines and elicits a strong emotional response. As a whole, there is a stark
comparison between coverage of important, newsworthy events between PBS Newshour and Fox
News Network. Fox News’ news hosts did not provide personal commentary about these events,
but nevertheless, Perino and Baier’s Pro-Trump narrative shows a lack of variation between their
story selection and their opinion-based counterpart, proving that Fox News Network establishes a
one-sided structure for Americans’ during their pursuit for the truth.
Conclusions
After researching, analyzing, and observing the eight programs, I was able to determine
that news and punditry programs on Fox News Network lack variation in terms of story selection
because they are primarily functioning as a partisan media outlet. By presenting themselves to
the public as a partisan media outlet, and by covering stories based on the hostility toward the
mainstream press, Fox News has cultivated a relationship with President Trump that results in
biased news coverage (Dagnes 194). According to Dagnes, “Trump refers to the network as an
extension of himself, using words like ‘we’ and ‘us’ about the network’s hosts (Dagnes 194).”
By creating a feedback loop allowing the President to advertise himself and his positions, as well
promote the network’s legitimacy, Fox News Network has found itself at the center of the rightwing media bubble. As a result, the right-wing media circle is able to push its antagonistic
mission to fuel anger and oppositional attitudes of its viewers, which illustrates why Fox News
programs lack variation in their reporting. The network is so profitable in its ability to adhere to a
pro-conservative narrative to the point that any deviation from this narrative would be
detrimental to its success.
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According to media scholars Jeffrey Berry and Sarah Sobieraj, “partisan media are
specifically triggering emotional and thus irrational responses from American audiences because
the outrage industry is effective, successful and profitable (Berry, Sobieraj 2014).” To be
effective, Fox News tends to choose stories that reinforce its pre-existing views. Through this
practice of “selective exposure,” certain stories and perspectives alter the news agenda. In Fox
News’ case, American politics is the news, and nothing is deemed more important than what’s
happening on Capitol Hill. Therefore, even if the story selection process differs between news
and opinion programs, it doesn’t hold weight because the gatekeeping function on Fox News
Network drastically differs from the gatekeeping practices of outlets like PBS Newshour and the
mainstream press. This is because, by design, Fox News was created to shape a specific,
conservative “truth” for its audience.
Rather than labeling themselves as “fact-finders'' who report “objectively”, Fox News
reporters have always pushed a political message (Dagnes 182). PBS Newshour, is the only daily
news program on an otherwise non-news public television channel, which allows the program to
inform viewers about the news of the day from an objective perch (Schudson 67). Since the
elective of President Trump, Fox News’ primary goal is to deliver a pro-Trump message to a
Trump-loyal audience and to ensure that they are amplifying their anti-government offensive to
keep up with other right-wing media outlets (Sommer 18).
Fox News Network is motivated to push a Pro-Trump narrative since the election of the
45th President in 2016, and its angry, anxious tone allows its programs to avoid both sides of the
conversation. Specifically, Fox News is the primary example of adhering to what Dagnes and I
coined as the “peephole” analogy: Fox News news and opinion programs utilize very specific
gatekeeping tactics to the point that their viewers are only gaining a very small perspective of a
14
much more complex dialogue. Instead, PBS Newshour provides a wide-range perspective on a
variety of topics, and the host is transparent in her reporting.
Pictured above is a visual of PBS Newshour operating like a window, and Fox News operating like a peephole in terms of their
reporting of current events
According to Young, Fox wants viewers to tune in to their programming, and they want
to solely focus on the conservative perspective. Finally, and arguably most important to the
network’s gatekeeping tactics, Fox News wants to keep its conservative viewers angry. This
results in limited perspectives and self-reinforcing narratives from both news and opinion shows,
putting the network at the center of the right-wing media circle. To maintain this outrage
performance, Fox News hires hosts like Sean Hannity, a man who has become a primary source
of outrage for many Americans (Young 54). Through the use of visuals and aggressive phrases
like “Hate and Hysteria,” “Corruption and Deceit,” and “Fantasies of the Left,” Hannity has
dominated television ratings for years, which further develops the notion that gatekeeping is
controlled by the hosts opinion rather than the newsworthiness of the story.
In conclusion, we recognize that gatekeeping has evolved from purposely nonpartisan
reporting to overtly partisan storytelling. When following proper gatekeeping practices, the
mainstream press determines which stories to present as news to the public by deciding if stories
are interesting, important, will maintain high ratings, and remain within the realm of
“infotainment” (a combination of both information and entertainment). Fox News programming
deviates from these traditional gatekeeping techniques and instead concentrates on stories that
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will elicit an emotional response and will add to the conservative mindset. Also, Fox News
programming insists on perpetuating the right-wing media agenda by instilling fear and outrage
in its viewers by claiming that the network is the sole provider of “truth.” Thus, if PBS Newshour
is “the gold standard” for ethical, unbiased gatekeeping practices, then the specific gatekeeping
tactics on Fox News Network are flawed because they are only choosing stories that will reaffirm
the conservative narrative.
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