Reuters is boosting its global newsgathering team by hiring 100 new journalists.
The move marks a turnaround after widespread staff cutbacks at the agency in recent years. Most of the new recruits are expected to be in finance news, covering China and India. Reuters’ global editorial headcount is 2,300.
There will be 21 new general and political news journalist positions, most of which will be based in the US. Two jobs will go to Beijing, including one for sport in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics.
New correspondents in environment, religion, global security, health and entertainment are being appointed across the world, and there will be a new features editor in each of the three broad geographical areas Reuters covers.
A lifestyle editor will be appointed in preparation for the new “Life” service being launched in the autumn.
Reuters managing director of media business, the division that covers pictures and newswires, Monique Villa, said: “We feel that in the big trends of this century, religion, health and health in the larger sense, body well-being and so on have become absolutely essential to our clients. In religion it’s no longer [just] covering the Pope, but we’ve also got Islam and all religions. This is where we thought it better to reinforce our client base.”
Villa added: “For both the news agency and the consumer side, we have a lot of requests for more lifestyle, human interest, entertainment and odd stories than before. It is because our client base is evolving. Today all broadcasters are becoming online publishers just as the newspapers will start to have a common newsroom with their online services.”
Reuters is sending 150 journalists to the World Cup, including 65 photographers and picture editors, 13 camera crews and two graphic artists. The agency will supply 100 pictures for each match, rising to 200 for the final on 9 July.
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