News agency

A news agency is an organisation that collects news reports and sells them to news organisations that have subscribed to its services. These types of news organisations include newspapers, periodicals, and radio and television broadcasters. The term "news agency" is synonymous with "wire service," "newswire," and "news service," respectively.

There are many news agencies located all over the world; however, there are three global news agencies known as Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Associated Press (AP), and Reuters. These three news agencies have offices located in the majority of countries around the world, cover all information fields, and supply the majority of the international news that is printed in newspapers around the world. They all started with and continue to operate on the fundamental principle of delivering a single impartial news feed to all customers; they do not offer separate feeds for conservative or liberal publications. Jonathan Fenby provides an explanation of the philosophy.

In order to acquire such widespread acceptance, the agencies avoid displaying any overt signs of favouritism. Information that can be shown to be accurate is their primary commodity. In the past, they have followed the practise of reporting at a lower level of accountability by attributing their information to a spokesperson, the press, or other sources. They keep shy of forming judgements and stay away from uncertainty and ambiguity. Despite the fact that their founders did not use the term "objectivity," this philosophical principle serves as the foundation for their businesses; if not objectivity, then neutrality that is generally accepted.

In most cases, newspaper syndicates will only sell their content to a single customer in each region, but news agencies will often disseminate pieces to anybody who expresses interest in the topic.