Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Prep Guide for Exam Success!

A joint operating agreement (JOA) allows competing newspapers to combine their business operations, such as circulation and advertising, while maintaining separate editorial functions. This arrangement is designed to help them reduce costs and increase efficiency without sacrificing the independence of their reporting. The JOA enables newspapers to collaborate in areas that do not compromise their ability to provide diverse viewpoints and competitive journalism. By pooling resources for circulation and advertising, newspapers can remain viable in a challenging market while still offering distinct editorial content to their readers.

The other options, while they highlight various operational aspects of newspapers, do not accurately reflect the nature of a joint operating agreement. For instance, sharing journalists or merging editorial boards would undermine the independence that JOAs are meant to protect. Increasing press runs may enhance profitability but does not necessarily involve the structural collaboration defined by a JOA.