Archive:Newswire: Difference between revisions

A '''newswire''', also called a '''wire service''', is a service that distributes news content to media organizations and other subscribers. The term has two related but distinct meanings. In journalism, it refers to a [[news agency]] that gathers and reports news and supplies it to newspapers, broadcasters, and online outlets. In [[public relations]], it refers to a commercial service that distributes [[press release]]s and other announcements written by the organizations that issue them.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |title=News agency |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/news-agency |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref><ref name="PRDaily">{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Grace |title=The true value of a newswire service |url=https://www.prdaily.com/the-true-value-of-a-newswire-service/ |work=PR Daily |date=12 June 2019}}</ref>

The difference lies in who produces the material and who is editorially responsible for it. A news agency employs journalists and editors to produce its reports. A press release distribution service transmits material that its clients wrote and paid to distribute.<ref name="Axia">{{cite web |last=Chastain |first=Lindsey |title=What's the difference between newswire and press release distribution wire agencies? |url=https://www.axiapr.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-newswire-and-press-release-distribution-wire-agencies |website=Axia Public Relations |date=17 December 2023}}</ref>

The word ''wire'' refers to the [[electrical telegraph|telegraph]] lines that news agencies used to send reports between cities in the 19th century. The name stayed in use as transmission moved to [[teleprinter]] networks, satellite links, and later the [[Internet]].<ref name="Britannica" />

== News agencies ==

News agencies emerged in the mid-19th century, when the telegraph made it practical to sell the same reports to many publications at once. Early agencies included [[Agence Havas]] (founded 1835), the [[Associated Press]] (1846), and [[Reuters]] (1851).<ref name="SilbersteinLoeb">{{cite book |last=Silberstein-Loeb |first=Jonathan |title=The International Distribution of News: The Associated Press, Press Association, and Reuters, 1848–1947 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-107-03593-7}}</ref><ref name="BoydBarrett">{{cite book |last=Boyd-Barrett |first=Oliver |title=The International News Agencies |publisher=Constable |location=London |year=1980}}</ref>

Agencies sell their reports to subscribing outlets. Those outlets may publish the reports as they are, edit them, or use them as source material for their own coverage. Major present-day agencies include Reuters, the Associated Press, and [[Agence France-Presse]].<ref name="Britannica" />

== Press release distribution services ==

In public relations, ''newswire'' usually refers to a commercial service that distributes announcements for a fee. Its customers include businesses, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and public relations firms. These services send releases to newsrooms, journalists, financial information providers, and online publishing platforms. Publicly traded companies also use them to meet [[Regulation Fair Disclosure|disclosure requirements]].<ref name="PRDaily" />

Well-known services include [[PR Newswire]], [[Business Wire]], [[GlobeNewswire]], and EZ Newswire.<ref name="PRDaily" /><ref name="MediaPost">{{cite news |last=Schultz |first=Ray |title=Reuters Signs News Distribution Deal With EZ Newswire |url=https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/399513/reuters-signs-news-distribution-deal-with-ez-newsw.html |work=MediaPost |date=17 September 2024}}</ref>

Unlike agency reporting, a distributed press release is not subject to independent editorial review. A recipient that receives or republishes a release has not thereby verified or endorsed its content.<ref name="Axia" />

In journalism, ''newswire'', ''wire service'', and ''news agency'' are often used interchangeably. In public relations, ''newswire'' more commonly means a press release distribution service. This overlap can make the term ambiguous. The distinction is not technological. It concerns the source of the material: independently produced journalism, or an announcement written by the issuing organization.<ref name="Axia" />

* [[Public relations]]

* [[Media relations]]

* [[Content syndication]]