Webmasters as mass media gatekeepers: a qualitative exploratory study

Eight college and university Webmasters in three midwestern states were int erviewed to explore their communications practices and activities by applyi ng a traditional mass media gatekeeping perspective. The results suggest th at gatekeeping theory is a valuable approach for studying individuals respo nsible for the mediation of messages in the emerging online media. Webmaste rs' personal characteristics and attitudes were found to influence their me dia content decisions, they share common values used to determine content a nd design, and they face a variety of organizational and related constraint s, some exclusive to Web gatekeepers in an academic setting. Examples of ga tekeeping activity and observations by the informants are presented, and su ggestions for future research are included.