The Editorial or News Process

By and large, each news organization formulates its own system for gathering news and decides freely on what should be reported along with its treatment. The editorial process constitutes a system of evaluating news products for accuracy, context, interest and relevance.

These principles of practice are the basis of how journalists collect news. It must be noted however that news conventions tend to emphasize the event, the extraordinary things that happen, crime, calamities, conflict. It also mistakes relevance and interest only in matters of prominence, such as those who are powerful or celebrated for wealth, beauty or talent.  Editors must check if these conventions are getting in the way of sharing the news that really matter to the people.  

The news budget allocates space for the placement of stories on pages or time for the news rundowns of broadcast programs. The criteria to determine what makes it to the news budget have evolved in the practice. But news selection is also influenced by the target audience the news organization is trying to reach. A business paper will follow business trends and developments, publish economic data to a greater extent than would a newspaper for a general audience.

Democratic discourse in the US evolved a partisan press environment where newspapers and programs reflected their liberal or conservative political orientation as the two parties stand for these ideological orientations. In Europe, news organizations align themselves with political parties and political ideologies.  In modern journalism, newspapers have openly espoused certain causes and advocacies. And when an election is held, news organizations can actually openly endorse a candidate although this is usually done close to election day.