Outlet profile

Reuters (via US News / Investing.com)

international center

Owned byThomson Reuters Corporation, majority-owned by The Woodbridge Company Limited — the private holding company of Canada's Thomson family — which holds approximately 70% of outstanding common shares as of 2026

FundingSubscription and licensing fees paid by news organizations, financial institutions, law firms, and enterprise clients; Thomson Reuters is also publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange

On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

Reuters was founded in London in 1851 by German-born Paul Julius Reuter, who began by transmitting stock prices via carrier pigeons and undersea telegraph cables before expanding into general international news. The agency grew into one of the world's largest wire services, supplying content to thousands of news organizations globally and known for demanding standards of speed and accuracy. The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles, first established in 1941, commit the organization to editorial independence, integrity, and freedom from bias — and they remain formally binding on Thomson Reuters today. In 2008, Canada's Thomson Corporation acquired Reuters Group PLC to form Thomson Reuters Corporation; the Thomson family's private holding company, Woodbridge, retained majority ownership and still holds roughly 70% of shares as of 2026. Reuters earns revenue primarily through subscriptions and licensing rather than advertising, which limits some of the commercial pressures that can influence editorial decisions at ad-dependent outlets. The agency has a notable editorial policy of avoiding the word 'terrorist' without attribution when covering specific events or groups — a standard that has drawn both praise for precision and criticism from some quarters. Media Bias/Fact Check rates Reuters 'Least Biased' with 'Very High' factual accuracy; AllSides rates it 'Center' with high confidence as of mid-2026, though Republicans in blind surveys consistently perceive it as leaning slightly left. In early 2025, the Trump administration removed Reuters from the White House press pool alongside the Associated Press and barred Reuters photographers from certain Pentagon briefings, reflecting broader administration friction with major wire services.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-07-20; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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