The global news and the pictures in their heads: A Comparative Analysis of Audience Interest, Editor Perceptions and Newspaper Coverage

News as a special kind of social product requires something to have taken place in the first place, to be captured by news people and published by the media, and ultimately to be consumed by the audience. Every stage is crucial for the news manufacturing process. This study examines the triangular relationship among what editors regard as important news, what the audience prefers and what the US and foreign media actually cover. The convergence and divergence of opinions among the audiences and the editors found in this study and media performance in coverage of some specific types of stories in the global context have important implications for a better understanding of the processes and structure of international communication in society.