International news-agencies, such as Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse, have long been 'unsung heroes' of the media sphere. From the mid-nineteenth century, in Britain, the US, France and, to a lesser extent, Germany, a small number of agencies have fed their respective countries with international news reports. They informed governments, businesses, media and, indirectly, the general public. They helped define 'news'. Drawing on years of archival research and first-hand experience of major news agencies, this book provides a comprehensive history of the leading news agencies based in the UK, France and the USA, from the early 1800s to the present day. It retraces their relations with one another, with competitors and clients, and the types of news, information and data they collected, edited and transmitted, via a variety of means, from carrier-pigeons to artificial intelligence. It examines the sometimes colourful biographies of agency newsmen, and the rise and fall of news agencies as markets and methods shifted, concluding by looking to the future of the organisations.

Scottish engineer Daniel Wilson (1790-1849) helped launch the industrial revolution in France and acquired a major art collection. His daughter, Marguerite (1836-1902), restored the chateau de Chenonceau, near the Loire Valley. His son, Daniel (1840-1919), close to Marguerite, became an MP, founded a newspaper chain, rose to become a leading republican politician, and married the daughter of President of the Republic Jules Grevy. The younger Daniel Wilson's business activities and news strategies offended many and prompted his involvement in a scandal (the sale of the Legion of Honour decoration) that led to his downfall and that of President Grevy. Wilson's name became and remains synonymous with political corruption. This book is the first to examine the nexus of political and press connections in early republican France from his viewpoint. The struggle for press freedom since the 1789 Revolution culminating in the 1881 Press Law is assessed by considering the stance of Wilson, Grevy, and the leading press magnate Emile de Girardin and other press tycoons. The flamboyant Marguerite, who hosted Gustave Flaubert in Chenonceau and journeyed to India, colours the saga.

Scottish engineer Daniel Wilson (1790-1849) helped launch the industrial revolution in France and acquired a major art collection. His daughter, Marguerite (1836-1902), restored the chateau de Chenonceau, near the Loire Valley. His son, Daniel (1840-1919), close to Marguerite, became an MP, founded a newspaper chain, rose to become a leading republican politician, and married the daughter of President of the Republic Jules Grevy. The younger Daniel Wilson's business activities and news strategies offended many and prompted his involvement in a scandal (the sale of the Legion of Honour decoration) that led to his downfall and that of President Grevy. Wilson's name became and remains synonymous with political corruption. This book is the first to examine the nexus of political and press connections in early republican France from his viewpoint. The struggle for press freedom since the 1789 Revolution culminating in the 1881 Press Law is assessed by considering the stance of Wilson, Grevy, and the leading press magnate Emile de Girardin and other press tycoons. The flamboyant Marguerite, who hosted Gustave Flaubert in Chenonceau and journeyed to India, colours the saga.