IMPORTING FOREIGN-NEWS - A CASE-STUDY OF THE GERMAN SERVICE OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

News agencies play a significant role in procuring foreign news. This study analyzes how the Associated Press (AP) ''imports'' foreign news to Germany, seeks to determine by what criteria the news is selected, and examines how it is translated and revised. In the German central office in Frankfurt, the ''slotter'' determines which news should be passed on to the German media; selected news is given to other editors for revision. Although there are similarities in the structure of the selected and discarded news, differences do emerge. The importing of foreign news does not consist of a mere translation of news, but of a reduction and transformation of contextual details. Thus, the news is adapted to the specific journalistic style of Germany.