An example of media gatekeeping is depicted in the article when Simonetti (1994) describes how an American network distributed the Canadian television program Degrassi Junior High. The ending of one episode was changed, as it dealt with the topic of abortion (Simonetti 1994). In the original Canadian episode, a pregnant character walks through a crowd of rowdy pro-life protestors to get to an abortion clinic, whereas the American telecast cuts the scene to only depict the girl walking (Simonetti 1994). By changing the content, the American television company edited the message that was being communicated regarding an abortion. Consequently, this suggests that the company wanted to convey a different message to its adolescent audience. Thus, the example illustrates the amount of power that is given to the gatekeepers to allow certain messages to be broadcasted while others are eliminated. Instead of letting the audience see a variety of messages to which they could actively engage, the images are limited. Therefore, the audience negotiation is restricted as well.The literature has shown an increase in the connection between adolescents’ television watching and its effects on the attitudes and behaviors of those adolescents
(Arquette and Horton 2000; Garcia-Munoz and Fedele 2011; ter Bogt et al. 2010; L’engle, Brown and Kenneavy 2006). Arquette and Horton (2000) investigated the influence of television on gender identity. The authors asserted that the television images that adolescents consume both reinforce and reproduce gender identities. Some of the repeated portrayals typecast men as authoritative and active while females are shy and subordinate. The authors discussed the idea that the media reflects society but also defines what is normal in our culture (Arquette and Horton 2000). If the audience believes television programs to be reflective of the general public, then they will likely believe that the messages being portrayed are the norm of society and try to live up to those standards.
However, the authors also present the idea of media being a “gatekeeper,” which states that the people behind the programming decide what messages are portrayed and what is left out (Arquette and Horton 2000). It is important to remember that programming is an intentional process where every line uttered, costume worn and prop used is chosen for specific reasons and conveys specific messages to the audience.
The literature on this topic demonstrates the connection between adolescents’ television viewing and the effects that it has on their attitudes and behaviors. In my study, I will research how stereotypical gender norms and roles shown on television may affect adolescents’ attitudes and beliefs about gender and sexual behavior, as well as what gender roles they fit into. There have been a few studies that look at how teen television programs use gender stereotyping, (Garcia-Munoz and Fedele 2011; Simonetti 1994; Van Damme 2010) however the current study will perform a deeper content analysis and look at how teen television shows over time have used gender stereotypes and possibly countered them as well.