Who are the gatekeepers of news? How effective is investigative reporting in informing the public?

The news is controlled not only by the medium in which the news is reported, but also in who owns those mediums. Each medium is able to broadcast different views on news stories. For example, on television, stations seem to be less biased although there are a few that are. On the internet, news outlets and online blogs can be biased, unbiased or say whatever they want because with the internet there can literally be an infinite number of news sites that can be about each and every topic and bias. With print, they also tend to be more neutral because when people read them they want to hear just the facts and be able to form their own opinions on those facts.

The people who own these news media outlets also control what stories make it to the public. The best example I can think of us Rupert Murdoch controlling Fox news. He sends out internal emails to all of his Fox stations around the country every morning telling them what topics they are to cover that day and in what manner they are to do so. In this way the news and stories shows are skewed while the audience barely notices.

I also think that investigative reporting is effective in informing the public. Although these types of journalists make it their job to dig deep into peoples lives and find dirt on them it brings out the truth and informs the public on that. In this way, all the facts are out on the table and the public audience is able to form their own opinions but this time its on the real facts.