Thomson Reuters Foundation to close its news operation

The Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) plans to close almost all of its award-winning news operation next month after nearly 30 years.

Sources told the Baron that around a dozen journalists working for Context News were told about the decision by TRF CEO Antonio Zappulla at a staff meeting last week.

Seven of the journalists work in overseas bureaux and the rest in London. Around eight contractors also work for Context.

The Foundation is the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters.

The journalists would be made redundant or redeployed if possible within other parts of the Foundation or Reuters News, except for a small group of three who would continue until the end of 2027 on a project funded by one donor, the sources said. 

They added that although the Foundation receives substantial funding from Thomson Reuters, additional finance from donor organisations had gradually dried up and Context had been contracting for some time, despite investment in a new website, increased social media coverage and rebranding.

A spokesperson said a “strategic reorganisation” had been proposed to certain teams and roles in the Foundation  but would not comment on details while consultations were under way with staff.

“As part of these proposals, which would realign our services to deliver maximum value to the communities we serve, some Context staff are impacted,” the spokesperson told The Baron. 

“We believe these proposed changes would maximise our impact as a non-profit organisation to best meet the evolving and urgent needs of the communities with whom we work, at a time when our mission has never been more critical, and the international development sector faces huge challenges.”

Journalists affected by the decision also declined to comment while the month-long consultation period is under way.

Critics said a lack of dynamic management and weak marketing had contributed to the news site’s decline while some sectors where the Foundation had pioneered news coverage, like climate change, were now covered more fully than in the past by Reuters itself.

The sources said Zappulla told staff that the Foundation would now concentrate on its other sectors including TrustLaw, which helps provide pro bono legal support around the world, media development programmes and encouragement of responsible business practices.

The then Reuters Foundation began a humanitarian news service called AlertNet in 1997. This later became Thomson Reuters Foundation News, with a broader remit to produce pioneering coverage of climate change as well as humanitarian aid, women's rights and human trafficking. At its height, the service employed around 45 journalists as well as freelancers around the world.

The name was changed to Context News in 2022. Zappulla became CEO in 2019, succeeding Monique Villa.