Getting and using information
Wire service
Also: news agency, newswire
A news agency that gathers reports and supplies them to many subscribing outlets at once, such as AAP, Reuters or Associated Press.
A wire service sells the same coverage to every newsroom that subscribes, which is why an identical agency report can appear in papers across the country. Agencies such as Australian Associated Press, Reuters and Associated Press post reporters where a single outlet cannot, feeding a constant stream of copy down the wire to be rewritten or topped and tailed locally. Simon himself reported for the wire service United Press International, as its United Nations correspondent. His factsheet on freelance pay explains how the agencies still commission stringers and casual contributors today.