Stage by stage process of taking information from the origin to the final user in newspaper?

The first step when a news event happens is for a reporter to gather as much information relating to the event as possible. This can be established through either witnessing an event as it unfolds or by interviewing other witnesses.

• Background information

Depending on the situation, the reporter may then gather additional background data relating to places or individuals relevant to or in the event.

• Draft article

All the gathered information is then pulled together and a draft article is prepared.

• Editor

The so drafted article is then presented to the editor, who will examine the article for accuracy, consistency and so on, and decide on possible changes that need to be made, such as condensing the article, re-structuring it, and removing parts that may be regarded as unsuitable.

• Page design

Once the final article has been decided on, the article is drafted into the overall page design. At this point photos, graphs or other images may also be added.

• Proof pages

After the page layout has been created, the details are passed on to typesetting, where the printers are prepared for the final printing process. Before the paper is printed, however, proof pages are produced.

These pages are carefully studied, or proof read, in order to avoid spelling or grammatical errors. Once the final set up has been confirmed, printing may begin.

• Distribution

The freshly printed newspapers are then bundled and transported to distribution centers around the country, from where they are then passed on to local outlets. Some papers will be delivered to readers by paper boys or girls, while the remainder will be displayed in newsagents and other shops to be sold to customers.

For obvious reasons, it has been necessary to greatly simplify the whole process from the moment an event occurs to someone reading about it.