Subconscious Gatekeeping: The Effect of Death Thoughts on Bias Toward Outgroups in News Writing
Abstract
This study contributes to gatekeeping theory by examining the importance of individual-level subconscious psychological factors in news story fact selection, specifically whether the thought of death increases biased writing toward outgroups. An experiment (N = 79), based on terror management theory from social psychology, indicated that college journalists primed to think about death injected into their news stories 66% more negative facts toward a rival university than those in a control condition. Implications for mass media research, particularly individual-level psychological factors overriding routine gatekeeping forces, are discussed.
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The selection process in gatekeeping is derived from the level of attraction or interest in the topic, its vitality for society and/or the audience, and the visual elements and their effects that attract the audience.
“The selection process is derived from the level of attraction or interest in the topic, its vitality for society and/or the audience, and the visual elements and their effects that attract the audience (Cuillier, 2012).”
From Understanding media empowerment: citizen journalism in Palestine (2023) · cites this paper as Cuillier, 2012
Cites
The Causes and Consequences of a Need for Self-Esteem: A Terror Management Theory
Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., & Solomon, S. (1986) · Public Self and Private Self · doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-9564-5_10 · Cited by 2,326 · see citing works
Greenberg, J., Solomon, S., & Pyszczynski, T. (1997) · Advances in Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60016-7 · Cited by 1,505 · see citing works
Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., Solomon, S., Rosenblatt, A., Veeder, M., Kirkland, S., & Lyon, D. (1990) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.58.2.308 · Cited by 1,412 · see citing works
Two Decades of Terror Management Theory: A Meta-Analysis of Mortality Salience Research
Burke, B. L., Martens, A., & Faucher, E. H. (2010) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868309352321 · Cited by 1,188 · cited 9× · see citing works
“2Because of the extensive use of this manipulation in more than 220 studies, or 80% of terror management theory experiments (see Burke et al., 2010), a manipulation check was not conducted to make sure that participants wrote about death when asked to write about death.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialHarmon-Jones, E., Simon, L., Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., Solomon, S., & McGregor, H. (1997) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.72.1.24 · Cited by 677 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Some studies have found that reminders of tolerance and boosts to self-esteem can prevent mortality salience (Greenberg et al., 1992; Harmon-Jones et al., 1997).”
BackgroundLandau, M. J., Solomon, S., Greenberg, J., Cohen, F., Pyszczynski, T., Arndt, J., Miller, C. H., Ogilvie, D. M., & Cook, A. (2004) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167204267988 · Cited by 663 · see citing works
Greenberg, J., Simon, L., Pyszczynski, T., Solomon, S., & Chatel, D. (1992) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.63.2.212 · Cited by 487 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Some studies have found that reminders of tolerance and boosts to self-esteem can prevent mortality salience (Greenberg et al., 1992; Harmon-Jones et al., 1997).”
BackgroundThe Scrooge Effect: Evidence that mortality salience increases prosocial attitudes and behavior
Jonas, E., Schimel, J., Greenberg, J., & Pyszczynski, T. (2002) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/014616702236834 · Cited by 420 · see citing works
McGregor, H. A., Lieberman, J. D., Greenberg, J., Solomon, S., Arndt, J., Simon, L., & Pyszczynski, T. (1998) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.3.590 · Cited by 403 · see citing works
General and personal mortality salience and nationalistic bias
Nelson, L. J., Moore, D. L., Olivetti, J., & Scott, T. (1997) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167297238008 · Cited by 139 · see citing works
Landau, M. J., Greenberg, J., & Sullivan, D. (2009) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2008.08.007 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
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Understanding media empowerment: citizen journalism in Palestine
Horoub, I. (2023) · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · doi:10.1057/s41599-023-01526-z · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“The selection process is derived from the level of attraction or interest in the topic, its vitality for society and/or the audience, and the visual elements and their effects that attract the audience (Cuillier, 2012).”
Background
- Authors
- Cuillier, D.
- Affiliations
- University of Arizona (US)
- Corresponding author
- Cuillier, David
- ORCID
- Cuillier, David
- Venue
- Mass Communication and Society
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2012-01
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 4-24
- ISSN
- 1520-5436 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-7825
- OpenAlex
- W2007834042
- Cited by
- 11
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2023: 4 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 4.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Mass Communication & Society (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Communication › Media Studies and Communication
- Social Sciences › Communication › Journalism and Media Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Keywords
- gatekeeping, death thoughts, terror management theory, out-group bias, news writing, fact selection, priming, journalists, negative news framing
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