Newspaper reporters must often work on their own, but some prefer the security of comparing notes with those from other organisations. The result can be the lies and trash of which the tabloids are often accused, but in the quality press this is, in my opinion, rare and exceptional. Why? Because the reporting of news is not a series of 'almost random reactions to random events', to use a much misused quote. It is a highly organised, systematic response based on years of personal experience among senior journalists. This is, of course, an artificial human invention, because there are no God-given, ultimate, objective means of measuring news priorities. But it is one to which most journalists and most broadcasters bring a strong sense of public responsibility.

Journalists may often be unaware of the way their own social status or personal beliefs can affect their judgements or their phrasing. Consciously or unconsciously, however, they generally base their choice and treatment of news on two criteria: firstly, what is the political, social, economic and human significance of the event, and secondly, will it interest, excite and entertain the readers? The first takes precedence over the second, but both matter. No newspaper can succeed unless it strikes a chord with its readers and keeps in tune with them.