News staffers at Reuters are concerned about the company’s relationship with Tass, the Russian-government owned news service, reports Max Tani of Politico.
Tani writes, “Multiple journalists at Reuters told POLITICO that staff are frustrated and embarrassed by the company’s continued partnership with Tass, the wire service owned by the Russian government. The relationship dates back to 2020, when the news wire first announced a partnership to distribute content from the state-owned news organization. That move raised some eyebrows among staff at Reuters at the time. But it passed largely unnoticed by people outside the company. In the wake of the Ukraine invasion, more scrutiny is being placed on the arrangement, including from Reuters’ employees.
“‘It was an embarrassment when the partnership was signed two years ago,’ one Reuters reporter told POLITICO. ‘Now it’s just wrong, and the silence from the top is worrying and maybe the worst part.’
“According to two Reuters journalists who spoke to POLITICO on the condition of anonymity in order to candidly discuss internal matters, some staff have sought answers from higher-ups about why Reuters continues to distribute Tass via its business-to-business service Reuters Connect, which allows news organizations that pay for the wire service to access and share Tass’ content.”
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