Reuters’ largest client restricting Tiananmen coverage

Reuters News president Michael Friedenberg and Reuters editor in chief Stephen Adler sent out the following on Monday to the staff:

Colleagues,

Many of you will have seen reports today that our largest client, Refinitiv, is restricting the publishing of certain stories on their Eikon platform concerning the Tiananmen Square anniversary.

We have spoken to Refinitiv and expressed our concern, and issued the following statement externally:

“Reuters reports around the world in a fair, unbiased and independent manner, in keeping with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles, and we stand by our China coverage.

We believe that financial markets need trusted news, information and data to operate efficiently, and we provide that service to all our clients worldwide. We continue to provide Refinitiv with the same scope of content that we always have, including stories relating to China, and Refinitiv’s decisions will not affect the breadth or quality of our coverage. We remain committed to telling the stories that matter.

Eikon is a Refinitiv product so any further questions should be directed to Refinitiv.”

In today’s world the Trust Principles have never been more important and be assured that they are the foundation upon which Reuters is built. We urge you all to continue reporting as you always would: to pursue the truth, without fear or favor.

Best, Michael and Steve