Most reporting happens because of reporters on regular beats who find issues and people and convince ediitors of their importance, if they even need convincing. That's how most of the interesting stories show up in the news. The idea that editors manipulate news to fit agendas is right out of a black and white movie. There are newspapers in which the management is too involved, such as Richard Scaife's chain of papers, and his obsession that Vince Foster was murdered by the Clintons. But we're not talking about most or all of the news that happens in most or all daily papers.
Most newspapers are part of large publicly held corporations.
A corporation exists to create a reasonable return on investment for its shareholders, which used to happen through dividends, and now happens through speculation and unsustainable growth that ultimates ruins values. But enough about my stock portfolio. The debate that's happening today in newsrooms across the country pits reporting against profit. But the issue isn't the kind of reporting - it's the extent of reporting. Reporters are rarely told how to report a story.