STRATEGI GATEKEEPING AKUN MEDIA INSTAGRAM @PONOROGO.UPDATE PADA PEMBERITAAN KECELAKAAN LALU LINTAS OLEH JURNALISME WARGA EDISI BULAN JANUARI 2025

This research is motivated by the existence of an Instagram media account that has been formed since 2018 until now. This study aims to examine the gatekeeping strategy applied by the Instagram social media account @ponorogo.update in publishing traffic accident news based on citizen journalism in the January 2025 edition. With a qualitative approach and descriptive method, data obtained through observation, interviews and documentation of the account's activities. The results of the study indicate that the @ponorogo.update account carries out an information selection process (gatekeeping) based on the principles of collection, verification, sensitivity to social and digital ethics. Information obtained from citizens in the form of photos and videos is selected to ensure accuracy, relevance and protection of personal data such as license plate sensors and the use of symbols to avoid sensitive content. This filtering strategy is based on David Manning White's Gatekeeping model theory which emphasizes individuals as the determinants of whether or not information is worthy of being published. The main obstacles in the gatekeeping process are the limited information from citizen journalism, the potential for the spread of information that is still unknown or confusing, and the need for additional validation from official sources. With this, the manager of the @ponorogo.update Instagram account is expected to have a management structure to fix the obstacles that still occur.

Keywords: Gatekeeping Strategy, Gatekeeper, Instagram @ponorogo.update, Traffic Accident News, Citizen Journalism