News agency

News agencies are bodies established to supply news to newspapers, magazines and radio and television broadcasters. News agencies can be either corporations that sell news (e.g. Reuters), cooperatives composed of newspapers that share their articles with each other, or government agencies (especially in Communist countries and other one-party states).

News agencies generally prepare 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 often also subscribe to news agencies as sources of information.

US news agencies include the Associated Press, United Press International, OANA -- ITAR-TASS[?], City News Bureau of Chicago, and The Press Association[?].

Prominent international news agencies include:

• Agence France-Presse[?]
• Associated Press (founded in 1848)
• Kyodo
• Reuters
• TASS[?], the Russian news agency
• United Press International
• Yonhap, Korean

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 PR services include:

• PR Newswire[?]
• Business Wire[?]
• Internet Wire[?]