News Agency: What are they?
Like any other agency, a news agency is
an organization that gathers news from various parts of the country and the
world and sells this news to subscribing newspapers, news portals, television
channels, magazine, radio etc. It is an agency in where the product is news
itself which is sold to other mass mediums. The mass media outlets can then
make changes according to their needs such as editing the piece, translating
the piece into other vernacular languages, adding their own perspectives etc. A
news agency is sometimes alternatively referred to as wire services, newswire
or news service. A news agency may sell a piece of news to multiple media
platforms. Whoever subscribes to the news agency is eligible to get news from
the agency based on their agreement and exclusive rights. Some renowned news
agencies in the world include Reuters, AFP, PTI etc.
Establishment
of News Agencies in Chronological Order
1835 – Charles Louis Havas starts first
news agency of the world, Agence Havas,
the forerunner of Agence France-Presse (AFP)
1848 –
Associated Press (AP), American News Agency, established in New York.
1851 –
Reuters News Agency started by Paul Julius Reuter, a German entrepreneur.
1866 –
Reuters opens its first office in India (Mumbai).
1867 –
Fabra, the Spanish News Agency formed.
1870 –
Reuters, Havas and Wolff come to agreement and form Grand Alliance of News
Agencies.
1886 –
First News Agency in Asia formed in Japan. It’s called Shimbun Yotasu Kaisah
1907 –
United Press International established by Edward Willis Scripps in USA.
1910 –
K C Roy established first News Agency in India – Associated Press of India
1925 –
The Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) founded in Russia
1927 –
Free Press of India, a news agency started by S. Sadanand in India
1931 –
Chinese news agency Xinhua formed.
1933 –
Nationalist news agency, United Press of India starts service in Kolkata
1947 –
Press Trust of India incorporated in Madras, India
1961 –
United News of India starts in March
1979 –
The Pan-African News Agency founded in Addis Ababa
1986 – Press Trust of India launches Hindi Service
