Gatekeeping at Online News Sites

This study focuses on the problematic relation between the gatekeeping reflex of conventional media and the transforming of passive readers to active users in the internet space. gatekeepers has great effect on conventional production of news from selecting to gathering and writing to presenting. this effect emerges on a wide scope which includes reporter’s cultural, ideologic structure and the politic tendency and general editorial policy of media organization. one of most important structural alteration that emerged after conventional news media transfered to internet is transforming of passive positions of readers to active. henceforth news consumers which are mentioned as users, can put their comments, critics and contrubitions into words at the comment spaces. but these comments and discussions still under the filtration of conventional gatekeeping. in this study the practices of gatekeeping on reader comments at internet has examined. for that aim purposeful messages has sent to the 6 turkish online newspapers in order to understand whether they create a comment profile or not in accordance with their politic tendencies by gatekeeping. in study has seen that the favorable messages about political power broadcasted much more than which are criticized at news media compatible with political power. similarly favorable messages about oppositional politics are broadcasted much more than which are criticized at news media are opposing to political power. according to study has seen that the gatekeeping which effect on news production process only at conventional media, has widen to personel comments and contributions, that are neccesary for a democratic discussion space, of the readers which are activated with new communication technologies.