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How do you make a news story? Here's Scripps News' step-by-step process

Scripps News pulls back the curtain on how we create a story from start to finish, from an idea to your screen.
Posted at 8:09 AM, Jan 25, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-25 10:28:21-05

TV news watchers are probably used to seeing Scripps News' reporters standing live, sharing a story on location.

But before they appear on-screen, there's a long, thorough process to uphold the standards of our company and to make sure the reporting is fair, accurate and true.

When it comes to politics, the idea for a story might begin in the halls of the U.S. Capitol after following up on a tip from a source, a key piece of legislation or a question from one of our 70 stations or bureaus across the country.

It's a similar process at the White House, where Scripps reporters and producers work hand-in-hand with our teams across the country to get to the truth.

Scripps News Political Director Andrew Rafferty is in constant contact with our political team at all hours of the day, always talking about ideas through the lens of what viewers tell us they care about.

Those ideas are brought to our company-wide editorial meetings, including daily morning and afternoon meetings. Every available Scripps News employee is on these calls. 

The whole team talks through ideas, crafting them to make sure they're relevant to viewers' lives and always striving to be fair in search of the truth.

Each show on Scripps News has an entire editorial team behind it, working together to bring the ideas to life while thinking about every aspect of what a viewer will see and hear.

Working in a program called iNews, the show is built. It's there where things like video, graphics, on-screen text and anchor scripts live.

Reporters then review what they're going to say with a team of Scripps News editors who check for things like accuracy and fairness. 

Then the last stop is the control room. Another team there brings the story to life on-screen.

And that's the end of the road: An entire team spread across the country, all making sure our reporting is information you can trust.