A Guide to News Agencies

News is not always the first thing that comes to mind when people think of a media organization. But news does not have to be news. It can be non-news, as well as news. In fact, news can be anything that the community or the media association deem relevant and important enough to share with the public.

Alternative Names: news agency, news house, news service, agency, media association, newspaper service or news agency, company that collects, produces, and disseminates news from all over the world or a country to several newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, other news agencies, government agencies, and others. An example of this could be the Associated Press, which is controlled by a corporation. However, it also provides news services to other media organizations, such as local and national newspapers. The AP also distributes news throughout the country through its wire services.

Agence France-Presse (French): Associated Press internationally; provides worldwide news services; also publishes a number of United States News & Newspapers and regional news services. Also one of the largest newspapers in France, it is owned by News Corporation. Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Arabiya, Andalucia World Network, BBC Arabic, Arab Television Network, All Arab TV, Arab News Online, Arab News, Asia Times, Bet Arab, chinagray Media Group, China Daily, Hainan Television Network, India Times, Jornal Moslem, Nai Duniya, Pakistan Wire, Russia Today, South Asia Times, Standard Internet Time, Tokyo Shocker, and Voice of America. Also, the correspondents of The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, India Times, and World News Network, are associated with Associated Press. Correspondents of CNN, Fox News, CNBC, C-SPAN, and World News Now also belong to Associated Press.

Agence France-Presse: Associated Press worldwide; also publishes a variety of news agencies worldwide, including some in the U.S. This is an international membership organization of news agencies. It supplies news agencies internationally with reports and information on topics of general interest. Correspondents of the AP regularly contribute to major newspapers throughout the U.S. In addition, Associated Press finances investigative reporting programs and projects. Other members of the Associated Press have been involved in numerous news stories, including coverage of the unfolding events in the White House, the hijacking of Air Force One, the Oklahoma City bombing, the unrest in Egypt, the Malaysian flight MH Lumpur smashed into a buildings top floors, the earthquake in Haiti, and much more.

The World Service, a division of AP, is an international member of the Association of Publishers News Editors. Associated Press provides PR assistance to corporations, nonprofit groups, newsrooms, and the media industry. It is one of the three registered trademark holders for the news agency name. As the AP news agency grows both nationally and locally it is looking for new ways to enhance its reach and increase traffic. A major part of its growth has been the addition of Internet services to its service.

In order to keep abreast of breaking news, most news agencies today rely on news wire services. A news wire is a list that the media organizations (AP, TV networks, newspapers) used to deliver the information within seconds. Because of this reliance on news wires, any time there is a major news story it is front and center on the Internet and newswire services. When a story is covered extensively, it can even end up appearing on other Newswire services such as MSN and AltaVista. This type of widespread coverage is a huge advantage to any news agency.