History of Reuters in Timeline

Reuters is a major international news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. With a global presence of approximately 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists stationed in roughly 200 locations, it delivers news in 16 languages. Recognized as one of the world's largest news providers, Reuters plays a significant role in disseminating information worldwide.

1915: Herbert de Reuter's Death

In 1915, Reuter's son Herbert de Reuter, who was serving as general manager, passed away by suicide.

1916: Reuters Returns to Private Ownership

In 1916, Reuters returned to private ownership when Roderick Jones and Mark Napier purchased all shares. They renamed the company "Reuters Limited" and removed the apostrophe.

1919: Reuters Reports on Korean Protests

In 1919, Reuters issued reports that falsely depicted the March 1st Movement protests in Korea as violent Bolshevik uprisings. These reports were later found to have possibly negatively influenced international opinion on Korea.

1923: Reuters Pioneers International Radio News Transmission

In 1923, Reuters began using radio to transmit news internationally, marking a pioneering act in news dissemination.

1925: Press Association Acquires Interest in Reuters

In 1925, the Press Association (PA) of Great Britain acquired a majority interest in Reuters, eventually gaining full ownership some years later.

1941: Reuters Restructures and Deflects Government Pressure

In 1941, Reuters restructured itself as a private company to deflect pressure from the British government to serve national interests. The PA also sold half of Reuters to the Newspaper Proprietors' Association.

1947: Reuters Co-ownership Expands

In 1947, co-ownership of Reuters was expanded to associations representing daily newspapers in New Zealand and Australia, and the Reuters Trust was formed to maintain the company's independence.

1961: Reuters Scoops News of Berlin Wall Erection

In 1961, Reuters was the first to break the news about the erection of the Berlin Wall.

1967: Anthony Grey Detained in China

In 1967, while covering China's Cultural Revolution, Reuters journalist Anthony Grey was detained by the Chinese government.

1969: Anthony Grey Released

In 1969, after being imprisoned for 27 months, Reuters journalist Anthony Grey was released by the Chinese government.

1973: Reuters Provides Computer Terminal Displays of Foreign-Exchange Rates

In 1973, Reuters began offering computer-terminal displays of foreign-exchange rates to its clients.

1977: Reuters Accused of Cooperating with CIA

In 1977, Rolling Stone and The New York Times reported that, according to CIA officials, Reuters cooperated with the CIA. Reuters requested evidence of these charges, but none was provided.

1981: Reuters Supports Electronic Transactions

In 1981, Reuters started supporting electronic transactions on its computer network, which led to the development of various electronic brokerage and trading services.

1984: Reuters Floated as a Public Company

In 1984, Reuters was floated as a public company, with Reuters Trust listed on stock exchanges, including the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and NASDAQ.

1989: Reuters Reports Breach of Berlin Wall

In 1989, Reuters published the initial story of the Berlin Wall being breached.

May 2000: Kurt Schork Killed in Sierra Leone

In May 2000, Kurt Schork, an American reporter, was killed in an ambush while on assignment in Sierra Leone.

2001: Reuters' Share Price Falls After Banking Troubles

In 2001, Reuters' share price, which had grown during the dotcom boom, declined following banking troubles.

2002: Reuters Recognized as a Major News Agency

In 2002, Britannica noted that most news worldwide originated from three major agencies: the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.

August 2003: Taras Protsyuk Killed in Iraq

In August 2003, news cameraman Taras Protsyuk was killed by U.S. troops in Iraq.

2004: Adlan Khasanov and Dhia Najim Killed

During 2004, cameraman Adlan Khasanov was killed by Chechen separatists, and Dhia Najim was killed in Iraq.

2004: Reuters Asks CanWest to Remove Bylines

In 2004, Reuters requested CanWest Global Communications to remove Reuters' bylines from articles the chain had edited to insert the word "terrorist", citing concerns for reporter safety and editorial integrity.

August 2006: Reuters Severs Ties with Photographer Adnan Hajj

In August 2006, Reuters announced it had severed all ties with Lebanese freelance photographer Adnan Hajj after the wire service used two doctored photos by him during its coverage of the 2006 Israel–Lebanon conflict. The doctored photos were removed from its database.

July 2007: Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh Killed in Baghdad

In July 2007, Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh were killed in Baghdad when they were struck by fire from a U.S. military Apache helicopter.

April 2008: Fadel Shana Killed in Gaza Strip

In April 2008, cameraman Fadel Shana was killed in the Gaza Strip after being hit by an Israeli tank.

2008: Reuters Acquired by Thomson Corporation

In 2008, Reuters was acquired by Thomson Corporation in Canada, resulting in the formation of Thomson Reuters.

2008: Thomson Corporation Acquires Reuters

In 2008, The Thomson Corporation of Canada acquired Reuters in a corporate merger. This merger resulted in the formation of the Thomson Reuters Corporation.

January 2009: Death of Marguerite, Baroness de Reuter

In January 2009, Marguerite, Baroness de Reuter, the last surviving member of the Reuters family founders, passed away at the age of 96.

2010: Reuters Criticized for Anti-Israeli Bias

In 2010, Reuters faced criticism from Haaretz for alleged "anti-Israeli" bias for cropping photos from the Gaza flotilla raid, removing commandos' knives and a naval commando's blood. Reuters stated that cropping photos was standard procedure and replaced the cropped images with the original ones after it was brought to the agency's attention.

2012: Jim Smith Appointed CEO of Thomson Reuters

In 2012, Thomson Reuters appointed Jim Smith as its CEO.

July 2013: David Fogarty Resigns from Reuters

In July 2013, David Fogarty, former Reuters climate change correspondent in Asia, resigned after almost 20 years with the company, citing increasing difficulty in getting climate change-themed stories published following comments from a deputy editor-in-chief.

2014: Politicians Involved in Corruption Scandal

In 2014, several politicians from Brazil were found to be involved in corruption, by accepting bribes from different corporations in exchange for government contracts.

March 2015: Reuters Releases Excerpt from Interview with Fernando Henrique Cardoso

In March 2015, the Brazilian affiliate of Reuters released an excerpt from an interview with Brazilian ex-president Fernando Henrique Cardoso about Operation Car Wash. An editor's comment was mistakenly included, causing confusion about the former president's involvement in corruption.

May 2016: Personal Data of Journalists Published by Ukrainian Website

In May 2016, the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets published the names and personal data of 4,508 journalists, including Reuters reporters, who were accredited by authorities in separatist-controlled regions of eastern Ukraine.

July 2016: Thomson Reuters Sells Intellectual Property and Science Operation

In July 2016, Thomson Reuters agreed to sell its intellectual property and science operation for $3.55 billion to private equity firms.

October 2016: Thomson Reuters Announces Expansions and Relocations

In October 2016, Thomson Reuters announced expansions and relocations to Toronto.

November 2016: Thomson Reuters Corp. Eliminates Jobs

In November 2016, Thomson Reuters Corp. eliminated 2,000 jobs worldwide as part of cuts and restructuring efforts.

2018: Reuters Journalists Convicted in Myanmar

In 2018, two Reuters journalists were convicted in Myanmar for obtaining state secrets while investigating a massacre in a Rohingya village, leading to widespread condemnation.

March 2019: Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo Freed

On 7 March 2019, after 511 days in prison, Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were freed after receiving a presidential pardon.

November 2019: UK Foreign Office released archive documents confirming funding to Reuters

In November 2019, the UK Foreign Office released archive documents confirming that it had provided funding to Reuters during the 1960s and 1970s to expand its coverage in the Middle East.

March 2020: Steve Hasker Appointed President and CEO

On 15 March 2020, Steve Hasker was appointed president and CEO of Thomson Reuters.

June 2020: Reuters Journalists Use Incorrect Image

On 9 June 2020, three Reuters journalists incorrectly used the image of an Indian herbal medicine entrepreneur in an exclusive story about an Indian cyber firm spying on politicians and investors. Reuters later admitted to the error.

June 2020: Reuters announced TASS joined Reuters Connect

On June 1, 2020, Reuters announced that Russian news agency TASS had joined its "Reuters Connect" programme.

April 2021: Reuters Website Goes Behind Paywall

In April 2021, Reuters announced that its website would go behind a paywall, following the example of its competitors.

March 2022: Reuters removed TASS from its content marketplace

On March 23, 2022, Reuters removed TASS from its "content marketplace" because it was not aligned with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

2022: TASS's membership in Reuters Connect under scrutiny

In 2022, TASS's membership in Reuters Connect came under scrutiny after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, leading to frustration among Reuters staff.

February 2023: Reuters Team Wins Selden Ring Award

In February 2023, a team of Reuters journalists won the Selden Ring Award for their investigation that exposed human-rights abuses by the Nigerian military.

March 2024: Gannett Signs Agreement with Reuters

In March 2024, Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the United States, signed an agreement with Reuters to use the wire service's global content after cancelling its contract with the Associated Press.

December 2024: Reuters Ranked Among Top News Sites

In December 2024, Reuters was ranked as the 27th most visited news site globally, attracting over 105 million monthly readers.

2024: Reuters Wins Pulitzer Prizes

In 2024, Reuters staff won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for their work on Elon Musk and misconduct at his businesses, including SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink, and the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for coverage of the Gaza war.