The dpa's English Service to be restructured
Berlin (ots) -
The Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) is restructuring its English Service. For dpa international this means that, in future, it will not only offer coverage from its own reporters, but will also increasingly include content from partners who share the dpa's quality standards. For several years now, clients have had the option of receiving additional content from the Tribune News Service that includes news and reports from numerous major US daily newspapers and other sources; dpa editors select and format this content so that it can be received and published via the existing dpa access.
Similarly, for some time clients of the English-language multimedia dpa services have been receiving photos from various agency partners worldwide. While an increasing number of text and photo partners are supplying suitable high-quality content, the dpa is also making its international network of correspondents more efficient. In future, the English-language offerings will be based on the reports and information provided by the German-speaking reporters, which will be translated in the newsroom. English-speaking staff will continue to be employed to research information at locations where this is expedient.
The agency has been expanding its network of German-speaking correspondents for some time. Most recently, the offices in Washington and London were each joined by a new editor. On the German market, the dpa is playing an increasingly important role in foreign reporting.
At the same time, the English Service has listened to the wishes of many of its clients and is increasingly aligning its content to these needs. In addition to editorial coverage of the most important global events, the dpa continues to pledge to provide better and more comprehensive coverage of Germany and its neighbouring countries than any other news agency in the world.
The dpa's position as a news agency in the most populous and economically strongest country in the European Union is given more weight - with a wide range of reports from and about the EU, EU accession candidates and the United Kingdom.
However, as part of the restructuring process the number of English-speaking correspondents and freelance staff in the English Service worldwide will be cut. As plans stand, this will affect some 30 staff members. This is a response to the fact that the English Service has been running high deficits every year for some time.
The desk staff in Berlin and Sydney, which take turns in the production of the daily 24-hour service, are not affected. Some of the correspondents - especially in Asia and Africa - will continue to work for the dpa but in a supporting capacity to the German-speaking service.
dpa editor-in-chief Sven Gösmann: "This restructuring constitutes a necessary step to safeguard our English-language offering and to generally focus on high-quality foreign reporting on topics which our clients and shareholders rightly expect from us. Cutbacks are always painful, especially for those affected. At the same time, however, they are an opportunity for a more promising future for the English Service."
About the English Service:
The English Service, which was established in 1957, delivers around 200 news items, reports and features daily to dpa clients worldwide, including news agencies, newspapers and online portals. Governments and institutions also draw on the comprehensive journalistic content of the service, which is produced around the clock by editorial desks in Berlin and Sydney. Around 75 English-speaking journalists on all continents produce copy for the service. It also includes translations from the main German-language service and the Spanish and Arabic services of the dpa. Since 2017, the dpa has also been offering an independent photo service, which is available worldwide.
About dpa:
The German Press Agency (dpa) was founded in 1949 and is one of the world's leading independent news agencies. dpa supplies media outlets, businesses and other organizations with editorial content, including text, photos, videos, graphics, audio and other formats. As an international agency, dpa reports in seven languages. The company has around 1,000 journalists in about 150 locations in Germany and abroad. Its shareholders are 177 German media companies. Staff work according to the principles outlined in the dpa statute: independently from ideologies, businesses and governments. The central editing desk, under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Sven Gösmann, is located in Berlin. The management team, headed by President & CEO Peter Kropsch, is based in Hamburg. The Chairman of the Board is David Brandstätter (Main-Post GmbH, Würzburg).
Internet: www.dpa.com (German, English, Spanish, Arabic)
Social media: www.dpa.com/de/social-media
Press contact:
German Press Agency dpa
Jens Petersen
Head of Corporate Communications
Phone: +49 40 4113 32843
E-Mail: pressestelle@dpa.com