The Copyright Dilemma of Digital Platforms as Secondary Gatekeepers
A Case Study of Sina’s Unauthorized Reposting of Southern Weekly Articles
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/gprkbz68Keywords:
Digital platforms, Gatekeeping theory, Press freedom, Copyright protection, Communication ethicsAbstract
Platforms, as a new type of "secondary gatekeepers", have changed the way information is disseminated by selecting content and using algorithmic recommendations, but this has also brought about real problems, which have reduced the value of original works, weakened copyright protection, and undermined the public nature of journalism. Using the gatekeeper theory as a framework, this paper explores the case of Sina. com's unauthorized copying of articles from Southern Weekly, and adopts a normative textual analysis and case study approach to systematically analyze how platform algorithms affect journalistic originality. On this basis, the paper proposes the need to combine legal norms and communication ethics for joint governance, clarifying the multiple responsibilities of platforms in information screening and originality protection, in order to balance the freedom of digital news and copyright protection, and providing new ideas on the intersection of communication studies and jurisprudence regarding digital copyright governance and news content dissemination.
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