As Wyler said, the media is interested in stories that grip the public imagination, although they also have a message to push - Pro government (Mirror etc), anti-gov (Torygraph etc). The editorial slant always affects how they portray the story, but the lead story will always be what they think the public will care most about. This is why the abduction/ possible death of a little girl on holiday commands vastly more coverage than the deaths of the 29 soldiers that have taken place over the same timespan. The newspapers are businesses & need to sell their product.
A taxpayer funded state broadcasting service does not need to sell its product in the same way so therefore it should set its editorial at a higher level.........