Moral Entrepreneurs and Gatekeepers
Howard Becker argued that deviance does not simply exist on its own. Instead, certain individuals and organizations actively define what behaviors should be considered deviant, harmful, unethical, or unacceptable. Becker referred to many of these actors as moral entrepreneurs.
Moral entrepreneurs are people or groups who seek to create, enforce, reinterpret, or publicize social rules. They often frame particular actions as social problems that require investigation, reform, punishment, or increased attention.
Examples of Moral Entrepreneurs
- Investigative journalists
- Academic integrity advocates
- Whistleblowers
- Political activists
- Professional ethics organizations
- Consumer protection advocates
- Research integrity watchdogs
- Online fact-checking communities
In plagiarism and fabrication controversies, moral entrepreneurs frequently play a central role in bringing allegations to public attention and defining them as important social problems.
Who Are the Gatekeepers?
Gatekeepers are individuals or organizations that control access to status, credibility, opportunities, audiences, and professional legitimacy.
Gatekeepers may determine which controversies receive attention, whose statements are considered credible, and what consequences follow allegations of wrongdoing.
- Universities
- Publishers
- Editors
- Journalists
- Professional associations
- Funding agencies
- Political parties
- Social media platforms
- Credentialing organizations
Contemporary Gatekeeping
In the digital era, traditional gatekeepers share influence with new actors. Researchers, bloggers, citizen journalists, online communities, and social media users can collectively investigate claims, archive evidence, and amplify controversies.
As a result, organizations may lose some control over reputation management. Scandals that once remained internal can now become global controversies within hours.
Questions for Analysis
When examining a controversy, students should ask:
- Who first defined the behavior as problematic?
- Who benefited from publicizing the controversy?
- Who controlled access to information?
- Which institutions acted as gatekeepers?
- Whose voices were considered credible?
- Who was able to resist stigma and why?
- How did power and status affect outcomes?
- Did new media challenge or reinforce traditional gatekeepers?
Application to Public Controversies
Many of the cases included on this page demonstrate the interaction between moral entrepreneurs and gatekeepers. Journalists, investigators, scholars, activists, publishers, universities, and online communities often determine whether an alleged norm violation remains obscure or becomes a major public controversy.
From a sociological perspective, the key question is not simply whether a rule was violated, but how particular individuals and institutions succeeded in labeling the behavior as deviant and mobilizing social reactions to it.
| Resource | URL | Category | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Becker and Labeling Theory | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_S._Becker | Labeling Theory | Foundational work on labeling theory, moral entrepreneurship, and the social construction of deviance. |
| Moral Entrepreneur | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_entrepreneur | Moral Entrepreneurship | Overview of individuals and groups who define, publicize, and enforce social norms. |
| Labeling Theory | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labeling_theory | Deviance Theory | Introduction to the sociological theory that deviance is partly created through social reactions and labels. |
| Social Constructionism | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_constructionism | Social Construction of Deviance | Explains how social problems and deviance are collectively defined and interpreted. |
| Social Control | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_control | Sociological Theory | Overview of formal and informal mechanisms used to regulate behavior. |
| Informal Social Control | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_control#Informal_social_control | Social Control | Discussion of sanctions imposed through families, peers, communities, and organizations. |
| Stigma (Erving Goffman) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigma_(sociology) | Stigma | Classic concept describing how individuals become socially discredited. |
| Erving Goffman | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erving_Goffman | Symbolic Interactionism | Scholar associated with stigma, impression management, and social interaction. |
| Moral Panic | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_panic | Moral Panic | Explains how societies may react disproportionately to perceived threats. |
| Stanley Cohen and Folk Devils | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_Devil_and_Moral_Panics | Moral Panic | Classic work examining moral panics and folk devils. |
| Folk Devil | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_devil | Deviance and Media | Groups or individuals portrayed as symbols of social problems. |
| Media Framing | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framing_(social_sciences) | Media Sociology | Examines how media influence perceptions of social issues and deviance. |
| Agenda-Setting Theory | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda-setting_theory | Media Sociology | Explains how media shape public attention and concern. |
| Gatekeeping (Communication) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatekeeping_(communication) | Gatekeeping | Overview of how information is filtered before reaching audiences. |
| Gatekeeping Theory | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatekeeping_(communication) | Communication Theory | Discussion of editors, institutions, and organizations as gatekeepers. |
| News Values | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_values | Media Sociology | Factors that influence which events become newsworthy. |
| Boundary-Work | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundary-work | Professional Sociology | Explains how professions distinguish legitimate from illegitimate knowledge. |
| Status Degradation Ceremony | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_degradation_ceremony | Social Control | Processes through which reputations are publicly damaged. |
| Reintegrative Shaming | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reintegrative_shaming | Criminology | John Braithwaite's theory of shaming and reintegration. |
| Disintegrative Shaming | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reintegrative_shaming | Criminology | Approach emphasizing exclusion and stigmatization rather than reintegration. |
| Reputation Management | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reputation_management | Social Reactions | Methods individuals and organizations use to protect credibility. |
| Whistleblower | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower | Accountability | Individuals who expose wrongdoing and may act as moral entrepreneurs. |
| Investigative Journalism | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investigative_journalism | Media Accountability | Journalistic efforts that uncover misconduct, corruption, and deviance. |
| Retraction Watch | https://retractionwatch.com/ | Research Integrity | Research integrity watchdog frequently functioning as a moral entrepreneur in scholarly misconduct cases. |
| PubPeer | https://pubpeer.com/ | Research Integrity | Online post-publication review platform that helps surface allegations and concerns. |
| Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) | https://publicationethics.org/ | Academic Gatekeeping | Organization establishing publication ethics standards. |
| International Center for Academic Integrity | https://academicintegrity.org/ | Academic Gatekeeping | Organization promoting norms and ethical standards in education. |
| Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Code | https://www.spj.org/ethics.asp | Professional Ethics | Professional standards and ethical norms for journalism. |
| Poynter Institute Ethics Resources | https://www.poynter.org/ | Professional Ethics | Resources concerning media ethics, accountability, and standards. |
| Office of Research Integrity | https://ori.hhs.gov/ | Formal Social Control | Government agency involved in oversight of research misconduct. |
| World Conferences on Research Integrity | https://wcrif.org/ | Research Integrity | International efforts to define and promote ethical research standards. |
| The Sociology of Deviance (Open Text Resources) | https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/ | Educational Resources | Open educational materials related to deviance, social control, and labeling. |
| OpenStax Introduction to Sociology | https://openstax.org/details/books/introduction-sociology-3e | Sociology Textbook | Open sociology textbook with material on deviance and social control. |