LONDON: The Associated Press and German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur will launch a wire service next week to distribute stories from both agencies in Arabic.
The Global Arabic News Service, which is due to go live on Oct. 15, will file more than 200 stories a day from the agencies, covering the Middle East, Europe, the US and other parts of the world.
“AP and dpa have a longstanding and important relationship grounded in a shared commitment to fact-based journalism,” said Daisy Veerasingham, AP’s president and CEO.
“This innovative service is an important step toward serving this increasingly influential and growing region with independent, accurate and nonpartisan reporting at an even greater scale.”
Peter Kropsch, the CEO of dpa, said: “The fact that we are expanding and deepening our long-standing, good cooperation with AP with this new service is an important signal for the Arab market. Two leading independent agencies are joining forces to provide a new service that underlines the strengths of both partners.”
The German agency’s editor-in-chief, Sven Gosmann, said the partnership builds on dpa’s “strong roots and extensive network of correspondents” in the region, and that “together with AP we want to further strengthen this position and expand it journalistically.”
All stories distributed through the new service will be clearly labeled to indicate the originating agency and ensure transparency.
The service is the latest expansion into the Middle East by news agencies, reflecting the growing significance of the region in global news coverage.
US platform Semafor launched a Gulf service in September to cover the increasing role the region plays in shaping global financial, business and geopolitical trends. Its regional coverage also includes cultural developments, investment opportunities, infrastructure news, climate issues and technological advances in Gulf states.
