Press Association

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The Press Association is an international news agency in the United Kingdom and Ireland, supplying news wire to almost all national and local newspapers, television and radio news, as well as many websites. It was founded in 1868 by a consortium of provincial newspaper proprietors as a co-operative in order to supply news items from across the country to its members. It is based in London, Nottingham (photographic department) and Howden and has correspondents throughout Britain.

It is part of the PA Group which includes subsidiaries that specialise in coverage and data of sport, entertainment and business. In turn the Press Association has two subsidiaries, the Scottish Press Association and the Press Association of Ireland (covering Northern and the Republic of Ireland).

The PA produces 150 to 200 stories on weekdays.[1] The choice of stories by the PA has a large impact on coverage in UK media. A study to quantify this found that 70% of UK news articles in the five most notable quality London based newspapers were largely influenced by the PA copy (or the few other much smaller agencies in the UK). 30% of stories were simple copies.[2] It is also considered a highly trusted source by organisations such as the BBC which treats it as "a confirmed, single source".[3]

The operation of The PA was threatened in 1995 when some newspapers prepared to change their wire source to a new company, UK News. This resulted in severe personnel cutbacks.

Contents

[edit] History of the Press Association

The Press Association was started in 1868 by a group of regional newspaper owners to provide a London-based service of news-collecting and reporting from around the British Isles. The story goes, they came up with idea in the back of a Hansom Cab during a traffic jam as a result of London smog. The news agency’s founders wanted more accurate and reliable news, delivered quicker than the telegraph companies. When it was set up the committee who organised it said “The Press Association is formed on the principle of co-operation and can never be worked for individual profit, or become exclusive in its character”.

Today, the Press Association says its mantra is fast, fair and accurate. The company has gone from a news and sport supplier to traditional media, to an organisation that supplies multimedia news, sport, weather and information to thousands of different organisations.

A full history of the Press Association was written by Chris Moncrieff, CBE, the former Political Editor of the Press Association in 2001 called "Living on a Deadline."

[edit] Board of Directors

  • Tim Bowdler (Chairman, PA Group)
  • Paul Potts (Chief Executive, PA Group)
  • Steven Brown (Managing Director, PA Group)
  • Tony Watson (Managing Director, Press Association)
  • Ian Campbell (Managing Director, Press Association Sport)
  • Jennie Campbell (Managing Director, MeteoGroup)
  • Jonathan Grun (Editor, Press Association)
  • Sly Bailey
  • Kevin Beatty
  • Alan Crosbie
  • Charles Gregson
  • James Murdoch

[edit] Shareholders

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Davies, Nick (2008). ""chapter 3"". Flat Earth News. 
  2. ^ The Quality & Independence of British Journalism, MediaWatch, February 2008]
  3. ^ Notice by BBC Journalism board, 1 December 2004

[edit] External links

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