Level 1 of the journalistic process
The first level (abbreviated as L1) of the journalistic process has three steps: research, author and publish. There are additional steps in the work of a journalistic outlet (e.g. sourcing of advertisement or publication design), however, those are considered out of scope for the purposes of this review. Figure one outlines the standard process flow of the L1 journalistic process:

Most non-machined processes, may include overlaps between and repetition of process steps. As an example of process step overlap, a games journalist may research the legacy of a long-standing gaming series — for instance ‘Super Mario’. While the journalist researches (in this case playing the game series, watching available documentaries or researching the ‘in-game lore’), they may shift in between all three L1 steps. A published article could be re-researched, edited or rewritten to reflect new information (e.g. a new game in the series). This is where an understanding of risks and controls becomes relevant. Every repetition of a process step should trigger the corresponding controls of the process as it is otherwise prone to incur a process risk.

To understand the importance of controls, let’s assume the journalist above starts their essay on ‘Super Mario’ by stating that the main character in the series — Mario — made his first gaming appearance in ‘Super Mario Bros.’ on the Nintendo Entertainment System. A manual peer review control of a subject-matter expert should detect that Mario actually showed up as a playable character in ‘Donkey Kong’ — an Arcade title. Now, the journalist may update their story and re-submit it for review and publication.

Level 2 of the journalistic process
The L2 process level delves into the details of the three core journalistic process steps. Refer to figure 2 for the detailed steps in the level 2 process.

The journalistic process is ambiguous as it is not executed consistently by all of its operators. As a result, any process map — also the one outlined in figure 2 — is a subjective and simplified version of the process. However, the process in general is secondary to the purpose of this compliance-related audit (assessing the design of controls and application of journalistic ethics). As such it serves as a baseline to identify potential risks and controls in the journalistic process.

Identifying these risks and controls is the next step on this journey.