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 o ffice in Frankfurt, the ''slotter'' determines which news should be pa ssed on to the German media; selected news is given to other editors f or revision. Although there are similarities in the structure of the s elected and discarded news, differences do emerge. The importing of fo reign news does not consist of a mere translation of news, but of a re duction and transformation of contextual details. Thus, the news is ad apted to the specific journalistic style of Germany.