Entrepreneurs and Gatekeepers

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.