article

A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to organizations in the news trade: newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasters. They are also known as wire services or news services.

News agencies can be corporations that sell news (e.g. Reuters and All Headline News (AHN)), cooperatives composed of newspapers that share their articles with each other (e.g. AP), commercial newswire services which charge organizations to distribute their news (e.g. Market Wire, Business Wire, and PR Newswire). Governments may also control "news agencies," particularly in authoritarian states, like China and the Soviet Union or non-profit organizations operated by both professionals and volunteers. Australia, Britain, Canada, and many other countries also have government-funded news agencies. A recent rise in internet-based alternative news agencies, as a component of the larger alternative media have emphasized a "non-corporate view," as being largely independent of the pressures of business media.

News agencies generally prepare hard news stories and feature articles that can be used by other news organizations with little or no modification, and then sell them to other news organizations. They provide these articles in bulk electronically through wire services (originally they used telegraphy; today they frequently use the Internet). Corporations, individuals, analysts and intelligence agencies may also subscribe. The business proposition of news agencies might thus be responsible for the current trends in separation of fact based reporting from Op-eds.

Prominent international news agencies


News agencies are distinct from news syndicates that distribute comic strips and other editorial material, such as columns and features, and also from PR services that distribute press releases. Sometimes news agencies have separate arms for such work, but many such organizations are completely separate.

Commercial newswire services


Free online newswire services


News agencies

Zpravodajská agentura | Nachrichten- und Presseagentur | Agencia de información | Agence de presse | Agenzia di stampa | Hírügynökség | Persbureau | 通信社 | Nyhetsbyrå | Agência de notícias | News agency | Nyhetsbyrå | Hãng thông tấn | 通讯社

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "News agency".

Home Pageartsbusinesscomputersgameshealthhospitalshomekids & teensnewsphysiciansrecreationreferenceregionalscienceshoppingsocietysportsworld