Reuters removes TASS Russian news agency from its content marketplace

The emblem of Russian information agency TASS is witnessed on a board at the St. Petersburg Worldwide Economic Discussion board 2017 (SPIEF 2017) in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 1, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo

March 23 (Reuters) – Reuters has taken off TASS from its business-to-business enterprise market for shoppers, in accordance to a Reuters concept to team on Wednesday, amid growing criticism of how Russia’s point out-owned news company is portraying the war in Ukraine.

“We think building TASS content available on Reuters Join is not aligned with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles,” Matthew Keen, interim CEO of Reuters, wrote in an internal memo to staff on Wednesday.

The Reuters Have faith in Concepts, created in 1941 amid Environment War Two, commits Reuters to act with integrity, independence and flexibility from bias.

TASS declined to make quick comment.

The Russian information agency has been accused by some Western media and press freedom teams of spreading wrong claims and propaganda about the war in Ukraine.Considering the fact that the invasion, tech giants Google, Fb and Twitter and shell out Tv services have restricted obtain to Russia point out-owned media RT and Sputnik above worries about spreading misinformation. RT and Sputnik have termed limitations put on them by distributors, which include things like app shops and other social media companies, unjustified censorship. read through much more

Early in March, photo agency Getty Illustrations or photos slice ties with TASS, in accordance to a Forbes report. The report quoted a Getty spokesman saying that “in order to make certain the integrity of the written content we distribute, we demand that associates and contributors comply.” The Forbes story claimed TASS did not right away respond to a ask for for comment.

Reuters Join permitted users, typically information organizations, to obtain and share TASS content material for a price. Reuters Link also provides the articles of Reuters Information and about 90 third-party companies, including Assortment, United states of america Right now and CNBC.

The Reuters newsroom operates independently of Reuters Join.

The TASS partnership with the Reuters Link platform was struck in 2020. In a June 1 press release that 12 months, Michael Friedenberg, then president of Reuters, stated getting TASS sign up for Reuters Link was “building upon our valued partnership.” Sergei Mikhailov, TASS CEO, known as the agreement “truly a major event.”

According to the push release, the TASS partnership with Reuters Connect offered clients “obtain to breaking information and unique online video films on the Kremlin and Russian President, Vladimir Putin, as properly as characteristic video clips and common news.”

Due to the fact the invasion, the partnership has sparked sharp criticism on social media. A Politico story posted on March 20 cited unnamed Reuters journalists expressing they have been ashamed by the company’s partnership with TASS.

Reuters is owned by news and facts organization Thomson Reuters Corp (TRI.TO).

Reporting by Kenneth Li and Man Faulconbridge Editing by Edward Tobin

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