Reuters president Paul Bascobert sent out the following note to staff:
Colleagues,
Friday, November 13, marks 175 years since Reuters was founded.
On that day in 1851, Paul Julius Reuter sent the first messages over the new undersea cable between Dover and Calais.
The pairing of journalism and new technology sits at the heart of our foundation story. Even before he reached London, Reuter had built his reputation by using the expanding network of telegraph cables across Europe (along with a fleet of carrier pigeons to bridge the gaps) to carry financial news between markets.
This ingenuity and spirit of adventure set Reuters on a path of continuous innovation. Our history is one of firsts: first to “follow the cable”; first to bring news of Lincoln’s assassination to Europe in 1865; first to report the Armistice in 1918; first to confirm Everest had been climbed; first to use automation to relay stock prices in 1964; first with news that the Berlin Wall had fallen; first to report the full Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Alongside speed, Reuter prized accuracy, integrity and impartiality – a legacy enshrined in the Trust Principles, established in 1941, that continue to guide our journalism and make us unique in the global news industry.
Friday is a chance to reflect on the bright thread that connects the modern Reuters with its beginnings in 1851. The technology may have changed, from cable and pigeons to social media and AI, but our fundamental ambition remains strikingly familiar: to report the facts independently and with freedom from bias, and to deliver that reporting faster and more comprehensively than the competition.
As we take a moment to think of the generations who have shaped our history, and of the work we are doing together today to shape the future of Reuters, we can all take great pride in belonging to this remarkable and very special organization.
Best regards,
Paul
