News agencies were created to provide newspapers with information about a wide variety of news events happening around the world. Initially the agencies were meant to provide the news items only to newspapers, but with the passage of time the rapidly developing modern mediums such as radio, television and Internet too adapted the services of news agencies.
Founded in 1835 as Agence Havas, and changing its name in 1944, Agence France-Presse (AFP) is the world's oldest news agency, and is the third largest news agency in the modern world after the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters. [1]
Founded in 1846, Associated Press was founded in New York in the U.S. as a not-for-profit news agency. Associated Press was challenged by the 1907 creation of United Press Associations by E.W. Scripps and the International News Service in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. United Press absorbed INS to form United Press International in 1958.
In 1851, Reuters was founded in England and is now the second largest news agency in the world with over 2,000 offices across the globe.
With the advent of communism in Russia, Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) was founded in 1925.
Xinhua was later founded as Red China News Services in the Chinese Soviet Republic.
Political change in the Third World resulted in a new wave of information dissemination and a series of news agencies were born out of it. These agencies later formed their own Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool (NANAP), which served as a premiere information service in the Third World.
EFE, a Spanish organization, is the biggest Spanish-language news agency, and the fourth largest worldwide. It was founded in 1939.
The largest German-language news agency is Hamburg's DPA. The oldest German news agency still in operation is the Protestant News Agency EPD, tracing back to 1876.
Below is the list of the principal news agencies.
A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and radio and television broadcasters. News agencies are known for their press releases. A news agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire, or news service.
The foreign relations of Bangladesh are Bangladesh's relationships with foreign countries. The Government of Bangladesh's policies pursue a moderate foreign policy that heavily relies on multilateral diplomacy, especially at the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh has stressed its principle of "Friendship towards all, malice towards none" in dictating its diplomacy. As a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, Bangladesh has tended to not take sides with major powers. Since the end of the Cold War, Bangladesh has pursued better relations with its neighbours and other nearby states.
Agencia EFE, S.A. is a Spanish international news agency, the major Spanish-language multimedia news agency and the world's fourth largest wire service after the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. EFE was created in 1939 by Ramón Serrano Súñer, then Francoist faction's Interior Minister.
The Canadian Press is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Press has been a private, not-for-profit cooperative owned and operated by its member newspapers for most of its history. In mid-2010, however, it announced plans to become a for-profit business owned by three media companies once certain conditions were met.
The Press Trust of India Ltd., commonly known as PTI, is the largest news agency in India. It is headquartered in New Delhi and is a nonprofit cooperative among more than 450 Indian newspapers. It has over 500 full-time employees as of 1 January 2022, including about 400 journalists. It also has nearly 400 part-time correspondents in most of the district headquarters of the country. PTI also has correspondents in major capitals and important business centres around the world. It was incorporated in Madras in 1947 with The Hindu's proprietor, Kasturi Srinivasan, as its Founding Chairman. It took over the operations of the Associated Press of India from Reuters in 1948–49. It provides news coverage and information of the region in both English and Hindi.
Agenzia Giornalistica Italia is an Italian news agency. It is one of the main news agencies in the country.
The Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata is the leading news agency in Italy and one of the top ranking in the world. ANSA is a not-for-profit cooperative, whose members and owners are 36 leading news organizations in Italy.
The Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy began in July 2007 with a series of drawings by Swedish artist Lars Vilks that depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a roundabout dog. Several art galleries in Sweden declined to show the drawings, citing security concerns and fear of violence. The controversy gained international attention after the Örebro-based regional newspaper Nerikes Allehanda published one of the drawings on 18 August as part of an editorial on self-censorship and freedom of religion.
Media Information Agency is a public information service of North Macedonia. It is among the news agencies that provide professional standards in the sphere of its basic function - covering events, news and information. MIA works 24 hours a day distributing news in Macedonian, English and Albanian supporting the entire information space - printed and electronic media in the country, the media on Macedonian language abroad, the embassies of North Macedonia and other organisations, institutions, missions
European Pressphoto Agency B.V. is an international news and photo agency.
The Angola Press News Agency or Angola Press Agency is an official news agency of Angola, based in Luanda. Founded in 1975, it was a former close ally of the now-defunct TASS of the Soviet Union. It is part of the Alliance of Portuguese-speaking News Agencies.
The Rastriya Samachar Samiti, having a nationwide network, is the largest and longest serving news agency in Nepal. It was established in 1961 under the Rastriya Samachar Samiti Act, 2019 BS, merging two privately owned news agencies with a view to facilitating newspapers and broadcast media. With the development of news media in Nepal, subscribers of RSS have reached more than 100 newspapers, radio, online media and television. A pool of permanent and stringer reporters scattered throughout the country contributes to the news service and photo file every day.
The European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) is a federation of news agencies in Europe. The organisation was founded on 21 August 1956 and is based in Bern at the seat of the Swiss Telegraphic Agency (sda). EANA's predecessor Agences Alliées was founded in 1924 and was active until World War II when its activities were discontinued.
Presse Africaine is an international television channel and radio available via satellite, Internet and on local TV stations. Presse Africaine broadcasts in French and English across several countries. Every day, the channel provides coverage of African and World news. Management, based in Republic of the Congo and France, has several associated distributed in Africa and Europe.
Kutupalong refugee camp is the world's largest refugee camp. It is located in Ukhia, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, and is inhabited mostly by Rohingya refugees who fled from ethnic and religious persecution in neighboring Myanmar. It is one of two government-run refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, the other being the Nayapara refugee camp.
The Taliban has ruled Afghanistan as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since taking control by force in 2021, overthrowing the internationally recognized Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The takeover was widely criticized by the international community, and no countries have extended de jure diplomatic recognition to the new regime, despite nominally maintaining relations with Afghanistan. The Taliban has campaigned for international recognition since the takeover. Several countries have vowed never to recognize the Islamic Emirate, and others have said they will do so only if human rights in the country are respected. Some countries have accredited Taliban diplomats at the chargé d'affaires level despite not recognizing the Islamic Emirate. In September 2023, the People's Republic of China became the first country to formally name a new ambassador to the country since the takeover, and in January 2024 recognized the Taliban's envoy to China; however, the PRC still does not formally recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. The United Arab Emirates also accepted a Taliban appointed diplomat as Afghanistan's new ambassador in August 2024.