UNIT 2 NEWS AND FEATURE AGENCIES Structure 2.0 Objectives 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Features of a News Agency 2.2.1 What, after all, is a News Agency? 2.2.2 Jlow is it Different from Newspapers? 2.2.3 Ownership Pattern 2.2.4 F~nancialStructure 2.2.5 The Organisational Structure 2.2.6 How an Agency Operates? 2.3 Growth of the News Agency in India 2.3.1 India attains Independence : State of Agencies 2.3.2 Formation of Various Indian Agencies 2,3.3 Emergency : The Era of Samachar 2.3.4 Growth of Language Wings 2.3.5 Agencies Diversify to Compete 2.3.6 Aligning the Non-aligned 2.4 Differences in Operation of News Agencies and Newspapers 2.4.1 Basic Differences 2.4.2 Differences in Working 2.5 Foreign Agencies in India 2.5.1 Main Agencies Working inIndia 2.5.2 How They Operate in the Country? 2.6 Feature Agencies and Services 2.6.1 Agencies and How They Operate 2.6.2 Syndicated Columnists 2.7 Let Us Sum Up 2.9 Further Reading 2.10 Check Your Progress : Model Answers 2.0 OBJECTIVES The primary objective of this unit is to make you aware of the working of the news agencies, and explain how they are different from newspapers. We are sure that you are aware that the world of the Fourth Estate (the press) is incomplete without news agencies.. national and international. We expect that by the time you complete reading this unit, you will be able to: describe the main features of a news agency and explain how it differs from newspapers; enumerate the number of news agencies in the country and describe their functioning; pinpoint differences in the operation of newspapers and news agencies; describe how the forcign news agencies operate, in India; describe the functioning of feature agencies; explain how some journalists become syndicated columnists. News and Feature Agencies 2.1 INTRODUCTION Since you started this course, we have been telling you of the various means of communication. You have, we are sure, already gathered that apart from various other media the press also plays a major role in educating and informing the people. In the previous unit itself, we discussed the ownership, organization and management of the press. In this unit, we now go on to news agencies and feature agencies. News agencies form a major part of the print media, and are in fact the mainstay, without which many newspapers would find it difficult to function. Our endeavour in this unit will be to tell you how the news agencies are indispensable in the newspaper world. We will also tell you something about the working of these agencies, and explain how they are different from newspapers. While reading your daily newspapers, you must have repeatedly come across words like 'UNI', 'PTI', 'VARTA', 'BHASHA', 'AP', 'Reuter', and so on. You may have wondered what these agencies do and how they are different from one another. We hope to clear some of these mysteries. Activity 1 Before we proceed further, engage yourself in an activity. a) Visit a news agency office in your area and then go to a newspaper office which may be subscribing to that news agency. In the following space write down whatever you have observed with regard to functioning in these two offices. 2.2 FEATURES OF A NEWS AGENCY In this section, we are going to gain some knowledge about what a news agency is, what its organisational and financial pattern is, how it functions, and how it differs from a newspaper. 2.2.1 What, after all, is a News Agency? A news agency is an organisation which collects or ghthers news and supplies it to different newspapers, magazines, radio stations and television stations subscribing to its service. News gatheredreported by reporters/correspandentsis sent to newspapers via electronic teleprinters or computers. These newspapers, in turn, pay a monthly subscription to use news agencies for the news they receive. A news agency office is always buzzing with activity, since it has to serve not only the print media within the country, but also transmit news to All India Radio and Doordarshan. It also supplies news to newspapers and other agencies all over the world. Thus, the news agency works round the clock as there may be some newspapers somewhere in the world going to the press (that is about to be printed) or some radio or TV bulletin about to go on air. 2.2.2 How is it Different fr0m.a Newspaper? You may wonder how a news agency is different from a newspaper. Having visited a news agency and a newspaper, you must have already seen that the news agency works in a completely different fashion. Ownershippatterns,organisational Firstly, the news agency does not publish any newspaper of its own. Whatever its reporters structures and managementof writelreport, is transmitted to the newspapers and radio and television stations. It is then up mass media in India to the newspaper to use the news item sent by one news agency or that sent by another news agency, or use the report prepared by its own reporter. In fact,at times, a newspaper may even prepare an item quoting some paragraphs from one agency, and some from another agency. The choice of what item to use will depend on which agency sends its copy faster and which agency has sent a better written copy. Thus, there is a constant flow of news from the news agency 24 hours a day, whereas a newspaper 'goes to sleep' (the printing press) after midnight every night. There are two other significant differences. Every news agency report has to be attributed to a source, unlike a newspaper story. Furthermore, there will be no comments, editorializing or interpretation in a news agency report and it will be purely a factual report. 2.2.3 Ownership Pattern We are sure that a lot of people, including perhaps yourself, think th'at the news agencies are owned wholly or partly by the Government. This is not so. But, one wonders then, how the agencies run a national and sometimes an international operation without substantial financial support. In bther words, who owns or finances these agencies ? Well, both the main agencies the-Press Trust of India (PTI) and the United News of India (UNI). are trusts, registered under the Registration of Societies Act. They are owned by groups of newspapers who have bought shares to run them. These newspapers have established Boards of Directors, each headed by a Chairman, to . make the policies of the respective news agencies. The Boards have representatives of prominent newspapers as well as public figures. ' As you will realise, the same newspapers may be on the Boards of both PTI and UNI. But do not forget that there is a constant professional competition between the two agencies and, therefore, the Boards may take decisions on how to keep ahead of the other agency. Naturally, it would not be appropriate to have the same person sitting on both Boards. Therefore, the newspapers assign different representatives on the Boards. For example, the Editor of "The Statesman" is on the F'TI Board, the newspaper's proprietor or some other nominee will be on the UNI Board. But apart from meeting four or five times in a year to decide on policy matters, the Boards do not interfere in the day-to-day functioning of the agencies. 2.2.4 Financial Structure As you have already seen, various newspapers and the electronic media, apart from government departments and private entrepreneurs, buy the news from the agencies. For this purpose, a teleprinterlcomputer is installed at the office of the subscriber. This is maintained by the agency, just like the telephone in your house is maintained by the Telephone Department. Thus, any repairs are carried out by technicians of the agency concerned. The newspapers and other subscribers pay a monthly subscription fee, plus rental charges for the computerlteleprinter, apart from the installation charges paid when the subscription was first taken. The rate of subscription is determined by specific criteria like circulation of a newspaper, and it remains the same, irrespective of whether the newspaper uses the news items sent out by the agency or not. As we said earlier, the Government does not own the agencies. But like other subscribers, tl~cGovernment-All India Radio, Doordarshan, various Ministers, ~ihisterialoffices and other governtnental departments-is also a subscriber. Ultimately, the Government is the largest subscriber. 2.2.5 The Organisational Structure As stated earlier, the Board does not interfere in the day-to-day functioning.of the agency. The agency is run by a General ~ana~er-cum-chief~ditor, who is assisted by Deputy News and Feature Agencies General Managers or Deputy Editors. The Editorial Desk, which we loosely refer to as the Desk, is under the charge of a News Editor, while the reporting section is under the charge of a Chief of Bureau. The reporting staff is divided into two groups: the Reporters who deal with day-to-day reporting are under a Chief Reporter and the Correspondents who deal with Ministerial or Legislative reporting are under the Chief of Bureau. Thus, the Chief Reporter is also answerable to the Chief of Bureau. Apart from this, there are the transmission, technical, administration and account, from where it is immediately sent to the subscribers. Meanwhile, one or two reporters rush to the scene, and collect whatever facts they can get from eyewitnesses and police, and then either file the story by telephone or ruSh back to give their stories.