Thomson family affirms importance of Reuters news - Stephen Adler

Following a meeting with the company’s leadership team at which he was asked to report on progress, Adler said he had never been more optimistic about the opportunities ahead, the support Reuters News has from the company, or the significant impact everyone can make in 2012.

“No news organization is as well positioned as Reuters to excel in the coming months and years: We are global in a global economy and digital in a digital world, with a multi-talented team, a passion for great journalism, a strong business model, and the staunch support of the company’s leaders and its majority shareholders and board of directors,” he said in an internal message titled Our Path Ahead.

Adler, who became editor-in-chief in February 2011, said his presentation to editorial staff reflected conversations within Reuters News all year long, including as recently as his “Town Hall meetings” in London last week.

Summarising his remarks, Adler said: “Our goal at Reuters News is to achieve journalistic excellence, harness that excellence to benefit our users, and thereby strengthen Thomson Reuters’ individual businesses and the company as a whole.

“We aim to be the best journalism organization in the world – best at being fast, accurate, and fair and best at offering insight, originality, and depth.

“Being fast, accurate, and fair remains absolutely essential to Reuters coverage, and we are committed to preserving and extending our leadership in this area. As news providers proliferate and standards waver elsewhere, our rock-solid reliability becomes an even stronger competitive advantage for us. And of course it is mandated by the Trust Principles.

“While fast, accurate, and fair are absolutely necessary, they are no longer sufficient in a changing company and a changing world. Our users also seek ideas and deeper understandings, so they can make smarter business decisions, advise clients more intelligently, achieve fresh insights, and influence the global conversation. Meeting these needs has become a bigger imperative as Reuters News has come to serve all the company’s businesses – traders and Media clients to be sure but also investment bankers, investment advisers, wealth managers, lawyers, accountants, compliance officers, and the scientific and pharma communities, among others. Facts alone are not enough for this demanding customer base – insights that can spur actions are also essential.

“Our mantra of news AND insight also reflects external changes, as a flood of basic news and information becomes available free via the web and social media. In this environment, we must differentiate ourselves by adding value – through our trustworthiness and our insight – lest we fall victim to the commoditization that has undermined the businesses of other news providers. Hence, we are nourishing Breakingviews, op-ed commentary, enterprise journalism, data mining, innovative video programming, stronger financial graphics, and other ventures that provide differentiated value, while we bolster our training, desk strength, technology, and talent to enhance speed, accuracy, and fairness.” ■