History of Reuters in Timeline

Reuters is a major international news organization headquartered in the UK and owned by Thomson Reuters. It operates on a global scale, employing thousands of journalists and photojournalists in numerous locations. Reuters produces news content in multiple languages, and is recognized as one of the world's leading news agencies.

1915: Herbert de Reuter's Death

In 1915, Reuter's son, Herbert de Reuter, who was the general manager, died by suicide.

1916: Reuters Returns to Private Ownership

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

1923: Reuters Begins International Radio Transmissions

In 1923, Reuters pioneered the use of radio to transmit news internationally.

1925: Press Association Acquires Majority Interest

In 1925, the Press Association (PA) of Great Britain acquired a majority interest in Reuters.

1941: Reuters Restructures as a Private Company

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 in 1941.

1947: Co-ownership Expanded to New Zealand and Australia

In 1947, co-ownership of Reuters was expanded to associations representing daily newspapers in New Zealand and Australia, and the new owners formed the Reuters Trust.

1961: Reuters Scoops News of the Berlin Wall Erection

In 1961, Reuters was the first to report the erection of the Berlin Wall.

1967: Anthony Grey Detained in Peking

In 1967, while covering China's Cultural Revolution in Peking for Reuters, journalist Anthony Grey was detained by the Chinese government in response to the jailing of several Chinese journalists by the colonial British government of Hong Kong.

1969: Anthony Grey Released

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

1973: Reuters Makes Foreign-Exchange Rates Available Via Computer Terminals

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

1977: Accusations of CIA Cooperation

In 1977, Rolling Stone and The New York Times reported that, based on information from CIA officials, Reuters cooperated with the CIA. Reuters denied the accusations, but no evidence was provided to support the charges.

1981: Reuters Supports Electronic Transactions

In 1981, Reuters began supporting electronic transactions on its computer network, later developing electronic brokerage and trading services.

1984: Reuters Floated as Public Company

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

1989: Reuters First to Report Breach of Berlin Wall

In 1989, Reuters published the first story about the Berlin Wall being breached.

May 2000: Kurt Schork Killed in Sierra Leone

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

2001: Reuters Share Price Falls After Banking Troubles

In 2001, Reuters' share price fell following banking troubles after growing during the dotcom boom.

2002: Reuters Among Top Three Major News Agencies

In 2002, Britannica noted that Reuters was one of the three major news agencies globally, along with the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.

August 2003: Taras Protsyuk Killed in Iraq

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

2004: Reuters Asks CanWest to Remove Bylines

In 2004, Reuters requested that CanWest Global Communications, a Canadian newspaper chain, remove Reuters' bylines after the chain edited Reuters articles to insert the word terrorist, conflicting with Reuters' value-neutral approach.

2004: Deaths of Adlan Khasanov and Dhia Najim

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

2005: Reuters Moves to Canary Wharf

In 2005, Reuters relocated its offices to 30 South Colonnade in Canary Wharf.

August 2006: Reuters Severs Ties with Adnan Hajj

In August 2006, Reuters announced it had severed all ties with Adnan Hajj, a Lebanese freelance photographer, after the wire service used two doctored photos by him, and said his photographs would be removed from its database following accusations of bias against Israel in its coverage of the 2006 Israel–Lebanon conflict.

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

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

April 2008: Fadel Shana Killed in Gaza Strip

In April 2008, Reuters 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 the Thomson Corporation in Canada, forming Thomson Reuters.

2008: Reuters starts winning Pulitzer Prizes

In 2008, Reuters won its first Pulitzer prize.

2008: Thomson Corporation Acquires Reuters

In 2008, the Thomson Corporation of Canada acquired Reuters in a corporate merger, leading to the formation of the Thomson Reuters Corporation. This marked a significant change in ownership for the agency.

January 2009: Death of Marguerite, Baroness de Reuter

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

2010: Reuters Criticized for Photo Bias

In 2010, Reuters was criticized for "anti-Israeli" bias by Haaretz when it cropped photos from the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid, allegedly removing commandos' knives held by activists. Reuters stated that this was standard procedure and replaced the cropped images.

2012: Jim Smith Appointed CEO

In 2012, Thomson Reuters appointed Jim Smith as CEO of the company.

July 2013: David Fogarty Resigns

In July 2013, David Fogarty, former Reuters climate change correspondent in Asia, resigned and cited difficulties in publishing climate change-themed stories following comments from a deputy editor-in-chief who was a "climate change sceptic."

2014: Operation Car Wash Scandal

In 2014, several politicians from Brazil were found to be involved in corruption in the Operation Car Wash scandal.

March 2015: Brazilian Affiliate of Reuters Releases Controversial Interview Excerpt

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 (Portuguese: Operação Lava Jato), including a comment intended for internal use that suggested possible corruption during Cardoso's presidency, leading to confusion and misinterpretation.

May 2016: Journalists' Personal Data Published

In May 2016, the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets published the names and personal data of 4,508 journalists, including Reuters reporters, who were accredited by the self-proclaimed 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 Toronto 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.

2018: Reuters Journalists Convicted in Myanmar

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

May 2019: Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo Freed

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

2019: Reuters Covers Hong Kong Protests

In 2019, Reuters covered the Hong Kong protests, leading to a Pulitzer Prize in 2020.

March 2020: Steve Hasker Appointed President and CEO

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

June 2020: Reuters Journalists Incorrectly Use Image

On 9 June 2020, three Reuters journalists (Jack Stubbs, Raphael Satter and Christopher Bing) incorrectly used the image of an Indian herbal medicine entrepreneur in an exclusive story titled "Obscure Indian cyber firm spied on politicians, investors worldwide." Reuters admitted to the error.

June 2020: Reuters announces TASS partnership

On June 1, 2020, Reuters announced that Russian news agency TASS had joined its "Reuters Connect" program, which included 18 partner agencies. Reuters president Michael Friedenberg expressed his delight in building upon the partnership between TASS and Reuters.

2020: Reuters Wins Pulitzer Prize for Hong Kong Protests Coverage

In 2020, the photography staff of Reuters won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for their comprehensive coverage of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests.

April 2021: Reuters Announces Paywall for Website

In April 2021, Reuters announced that its website would transition to a paywall model, following similar moves by its competitors.

March 2022: Reuters removes TASS from content marketplace

On 23 March 2022, Reuters removed TASS from its "content marketplace." Reuters interim CEO Matthew Keen stated that making TASS content available on Reuters Connect was not aligned with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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.

December 2023: Reuters journalist's OCI status revoked

In December 2023, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs revoked the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status of Raphael Satter, a Reuters cybersecurity journalist, alleging unauthorized journalistic activities in India. The ministry claimed the journalist violated regulations requiring OCI cardholders to obtain prior approval for such work.

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 utilize the wire service's global content after terminating 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, indicating its continued prominence in the news landscape.

2024: Reuters Staff Win 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.

May 22, 2025: Hearing scheduled for Reuters journalist's OCI cancellation challenge

On May 22, 2025, a hearing is scheduled in the Delhi High Court to challenge the OCI cancellation of a Reuters cybersecurity journalist, Raphael Satter. This follows the Indian government's revocation of his OCI status in December 2023, alleging unauthorized journalistic activities in India.

August 2025: Valerie Zink resigns from Reuters, alleging bias

In August 2025, Valerie Zink, a photo journalist who had been working with Reuters for 8 years, announced her resignation from the agency after accusing it of perpetuating Israel's claims over its war in Gaza. She further accused Reuters of publishing Israel's claims that Anas Al-Sharif (a journalist working in Gaza) was a Hamas operative.