Definition

Noun: - A news agency: An organization that gathers news reports and information from various sources and distributes them electronically to subscribing newspapers, broadcasters, and other media outlets.

Usage

A wire service functions as a central clearinghouse for news. Media organizations pay for a subscription to receive a continuous feed of stories, photographs, and video content. This allows even small local newspapers to access national and international news coverage.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The newspaper relied on the wire service for international news updates.
  • Most major stories are first reported by a wire service like Reuters or the Associated Press.
  • The editor checked the wire service feed for the latest developments on the election.

Advanced Usage

• "To move on the wire": A phrase used in newsrooms meaning a story has been transmitted and is available from the wire service.
  • The press secretary's statement just moved on the wire.

Variants and Related Words

• News agency (n): A synonym for wire service.
  • Agence France-Presse is a major French news agency.
• News wire (n): Often used interchangeably with "wire service," or to refer to the electronic feed itself.
  • He constantly monitored the news wire for breaking alerts.

Synonyms

• News agency
• Press agency
• News service

Related Idioms

• "Wire copy": The text of a news story as received from a wire service.
  • The article was published with only minor edits to the wire copy.

Noun

1. an agency to collects news reports for newspapers and distributes it electronically