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Stories:

 

  1. Obama unveils U.S. immigration reform, setting up fight with Republicans

  2. Asian shares take comfort from U.S. data, yen rebounds

  3. Japan PM seeks referendum on ‘Abenomics’ in snap election

  4. SEC director with big stock holdings stirs debate

  5. Woman with gun arrested outside White House after Obama’s immigration speech

  6. More arrests as protestors await Ferguson grand jury decision

  7. Exclusive: U.S. increasing non-lethal military aid to Ukraine

  8. Three assumptions about the Middle East that are just plain wrong

  9. Residents in western New York call snow worst in memory

  10. Gunman shot dead after wounding three at Florida State University

GRADE: 50% F

Day 1: November 20, 2014

Day 2: November 21, 2014

Stories:

 

  1. Officials prepare for Ferguson grand jury decision, urge calm

  2. FBI arrests two would-be Ferguson bomb suspects: law enforcement source

  3. Obama seeks support for immigration plan, blasts Boehner

  4. Apple $450 million e-book settlement gets final court approval

  5. Lockheed, Pentagon ink $4.7 billion deal for eighth batch of F-35 fighters

  6. House Republicans sue over Obama’s healthcare law

  7. Widespread flooding ahead for snowy western New York: officials

  8. U.S., Iran discussing new ideas to break nuclear impasse: sources

  9. Sold-out Cosby show goes ahead amid sex assault claims

  10. The problem with core inflation and endless election campaigns

GRADE: 48.9% F

Day 3: November 22, 2014

Stories:

 

  1. Iran nuclear talks may be extended as U.S. sees ‘big gaps’

  2. Islamic State kills at least 25 Iraqi tribesmen near Ramadi: officials

  3. Obama approves fresh guidelines for U.S. military in Afghanistan

  4. U.S. pledges $135 million in additional Syria aid for U.N. warnings

  5. Somali Islamists execute 28 non-Muslims on Kenyan bus

  6. U.S. and Turkey discuss transition away from Assad in Syria

  7. Missouri town on edge awaiting grand jury decision on police shooting

  8. Volunteer snow shovelers hit Buffalo streets as flooding fears rise

  9. Japanese military taps youth culture in recruitment drive

  10. Obama seeks support for immigration plan, blast Boehner

GRADE: 58.4% F

Analysis

Rueters failed all three days that the newswire was analyzed. However, I do not believe the news organization failed at reporting accurate and newsworthy material. Reuters reported on stories that are very relevant and important to the public today. What hurt their grade was the failure to find diversity in sources, as well as not clearly naming where material was obtained. Reuters often  uses phrases such as “officials said” or “the White House said,” but they do not clearly name the official or the White House representative. The information may be true and important, but the new organization needed to clearly label the source’s name so that readers may know exactly where the information is coming from. There were two articles where the sources had clearly asked not to be named. This made the story very hard to report on and most evidence came from unnamed sources. While the story was very nice quality, the legitimacy was undermined by a lack of identification.

 

The other component comprising Reuter’s failure was a lack of diversity among sources. Reporters showed a definite access bias. Most people who were cited in the article were sources in a position of power. These people tended to be older white males. Even on cases such as Ferguson, a issue stemming from possible racial prejudice, a definite lack of minority input is detected in the story.

 

I noticed that reporters tended to show a greater access bias dependent upon the prominence of a story. John McManus (2012) defines access bias as showing preference to sources who are easy to contact. Newspaper reporters may try to please sources in order to gain more information in the future (pg. 86). When the story was on a bigger scale issue, the reporters tended to only quote powerful people. However, when the issue was smaller, such as volunteers shoveling snow, reporters tended to seek out diverse opinions, voices and community members to comment on the situation.

 

Reuters did run basically the same story twice two days in a row. The article, entitled “Obama seeks support for immigration plan, blasts Boehner,” contained the same information. The words and quotes were rearranged, but it was fundamentally the same story.


Overall, Reuters was very fair in the portrayal of issues. All articles except for a one or two were very objective. I could not detect a bias toward any particular side of an issue. The organization did a fair job reporting. If they would seek out a greater diversity in sources and clearly label were they attain their information the quality and grade of the news organization would improve

Who owns them?

Reuters was bought by the Thomson Corporation in 2007 (Austen, 2007). The company was renamed Thomson-Reuters after the change. The company is independent of any other businesses. According to an article in the New York Times (2007), 53 percent of the company is owned by the Thompson family. It is dedicated to delivering financial information, preferring to specialize in law and financial matters (Thomson Reuters). The company is currently owned by James C. Smith, the president and chief executive officer. Stephane Bello is the executive vice president and chief financial officer. He works with Gus Carlson, the other executive vice president and chief communications officer (Thomson Reuters).

 

How many are owned by the same parent company?

Reuters is owned by the parent company, Thomson Reuters. It is the news and media portion of the company. It employs “2,600 journalists in nearly 200 locations around the globe,” according to the organization’s website. In 1941 the organization, then owned by the Press Association, Reuters “decided to apply fundamental principles of independence and integrity, known as the Reuters Trust Principles” (Thomson Reuters). One of these principles states, “No single interest, group or faction should come to dominate Reuters.” Upon acquisition, Thomson Reuters agreed to fulfill this principle. From previous transactions, Thomson ”had earned a reputation for allowing the businesses in which they invested to speak with an independent voice and, more generally, for adhering to high standards of business ethics” (Thomson Reuters).

 

Are any owned by independent sources?

Reuters is an independent source within itself. According to the Reuters Trust Principles (1941), the organization acts independently from outside sources.

 

What is their annual revenue?

In 2013, Thomson Reuters received a revenue of $12.5 billion.

 

Where do they get their revenue from?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s their reader/viewer share?

 

According to their website, the Reuters news agency reaches over one billion people everyday (Thomson Reuters, 2014). 

Is there a particular story that “made” this news venue particular popular?

Reuters is famous for scooping Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Reuters website states, the organization’s founder’s “reputation leapt when, having moved his headquarters to London, he took advantage of the telegraph station at Greencastle, Northern Ireland, to become the first to break the news of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, demonstrating a passion for news and a

commitment to using the most modern technology of the time.”  Ben Bland of the Telegraph attributes the story as “Reuter’s first scoop” (2007).

 

Was there a story that this news venue is particular well known for scooping?

Scooping is what started the organization.  The assassination of Abraham Lincoln put the organization in the spotlight and launched it into business. However, other than this original scoop, the organization is not known for scooping many stories. 

 

How does the news site frame itself?

The organization state’s it “deliver[s]unparalleled international and national news coverage with speed, impartiality and insight to 

professionals” (Thomson Reuters). The organization views itself as a major leader in the industry and a cutting-edge agency bringing news to people across the globe.

 

How is it perceived (conservative/liberal/moderate/completely unreliable/well-respected?

According to the Better Business Bureau Review (2014), no complaints were filed against Thomson Reuters in the past three years.  The organization is considered reliable and honest. It does not have a notorious past or any events that have marred its reputation.

(Reuters, 2014)

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