What is wire news?

rodelu · Feb 20, 2009

When somebody is asking for a lifestyle "wire" for an online publication, what exactly does that mean?

I am not so much concerned about topics but style. Does length matter? Are you supposedd to include opinions? How is wire news different than just writing an informational article on some topic?

What are the style guidelines?

Thank you for all tips.

underthecity · Feb 21, 2009

I can't help you with all of your questions, but "wire news" comes from what's commonly referred to as a "wire service." Those two biggest sources are AP and UPI, that is, Associated Press and United Press International.

Maryn · Feb 21, 2009

underthecity said:
I can't help you with all of your questions, but "wire news" comes from what's commonly referred to as a "wire service." Those two biggest sources are AP and UPI, that is, Associated Press and United Press International.

And Reuters, which cuts Mr. Maryn's paychecks these days.

Maryn, glad to spend 'em

Zelenka · Feb 21, 2009

I've only read a few news wires at work, and I understood them to be very concise articles of breaking news sent through to TV stations etc from the news agencies like those mentioned (ours is Reuters, mostly). We've had to check them a few times if a story is late coming in - what we do is copy quotes that come in on the wires and then cut them down depending on which parts our reporters have actually used.

For things like sport and I'd assume entertainment / fashion as well, we have a brief story plus interviews and quotes from relevant people sometimes.

scottVee · Feb 21, 2009

A "wire" is a clip from a "wire service" (as mentioned). They're just press releases from companies and new releases from new agencies. And, yes, there are sports news wires, and other specialized ones. Some of the big ones were listed above. Here are two examples: http://www.reuters.com/ and http://prnewswire.com/ - see what kind of content they're using, how it's written and how it's presented.

Now, this probably looks pretty normal for the internet. We're so used to headlines and quick blurbs, it's hard to picture that this was once a critical service.

rodelu · Feb 23, 2009

scottVee said:
A "wire" is a clip from a "wire service" (as mentioned). They're just press releases from companies and new releases from new agencies. And, yes, there are sports news wires, and other specialized ones. Some of the big ones were listed above. Here are two examples: http://www.reuters.com/ and http://prnewswire.com/ - see what kind of content they're using, how it's written and how it's presented.

Now, this probably looks pretty normal for the internet. We're so used to headlines and quick blurbs, it's hard to picture that this was once a critical service.

Thank you Scott and all. Very helpful.
I guess I'll just have to read enough of them until I "get it"

Thank you all for the help.

happywritermom · Feb 23, 2009

scottVee said:
A "wire" is a clip from a "wire service" (as mentioned). They're just press releases from companies and new releases from new agencies. And, yes, there are sports news wires, and other specialized ones. Some of the big ones were listed above. Here are two examples:

scottVee said:
http://www.reuters.com/ and http://prnewswire.com/ - see what kind of content they're using, how it's written and how it's presented.

Now, this probably looks pretty normal for the internet. We're so used to headlines and quick blurbs, it's hard to picture that this was once a critical service.

No! No! No!
A wire story is not a press release!
Wire services employ their own reporters and have agreements with subscribing news organizations to share stories. For instance, if I had written about a murder in Syracuse, N.Y., once it had appeared in our paper, a shortened version would go "on the wire." Newspapers in Utica, Rochester, Albany, etc., might want to run it in their state briefs column if there was something different or interesting about the case.
Other the other hand, an Associated Press reporter might run a story about pork-barrel projects in Congress or the Senate. A small newspaper that doesn't have it's own state reporter might take that story "off the wire" and localize it.
That's what a wire service is.

Reporters

IceCreamEmpress · Feb 23, 2009

happywritermom said:
A wire story is not a press release!

Except for stories from PRNewsWire, BusinessWire, and other companies like that: these companies take press releases and turn them into brief stories modeled after the wire stories from AP/UPI/Reuters.

rodelu · Feb 23, 2009

happywritermom said:
No! No! No!
A wire story is not a press release!
Wire services employ their own reporters and have agreements with subscribing news organizations to share stories. For instance, if I had written about a murder in Syracuse, N.Y., once it had appeared in our paper, a shortened version would go "on the wire." Newspapers in Utica, Rochester, Albany, etc., might want to run it in their state briefs column if there was something different or interesting about the case.
Other the other hand, an Associated Press reporter might run a story about pork-barrel projects in Congress or the Senate. A small newspaper that doesn't have it's own state reporter might take that story "off the wire" and localize it.
That's what a wire service is.

Reporters

OK... mmm... First, I don't know what you are saying "No! No! No!" to.
Second... According toi what you are saying a wire is a "summary" of a news previously ran somewhere so it could be used in a different location? Did I get what you were trying to say right?

happywritermom · Feb 23, 2009

rodelu said:
OK... mmm... First, I don't know what you are saying "No! No! No!" to.
Second... According toi what you are saying a wire is a "summary" of a news previously ran somewhere so it could be used in a different location? Did I get what you were trying to say right?

I'm saying, "No! No! No!" to the implication that all wire stories are press releases.

Yes there are some services out there that try to mimic the news wires, but the reputable news services (AP, UPI, etc.) are just that --news services. The stories on the genuine news wires are written by journalists who attempt (and I say "attempt" because regardless of how hard we try, our subjectivities always surface in some form) to report the news in an objective way. Those other service are attempting to sway you in a particular way.

For instance, a news story about a plant that is seeping toxic chemicals into the water would probably focus on the people who are being harmed and the companies efforts, if any to clean it up. A press release, on the other hand, would be written by company officials or a firm hired by a company in an attempt to spare the company's reputation. It might try to place blame else or focus on the "heroic" efforts of the company in the clean up.

I said "No! No! No!" so assertively because it bother me that some people still do not know the difference between journalism and PR and, often, between credible and noncredible information on the Internet.

happywritermom · Feb 23, 2009

As for the original question, I think the person who is asking you for the lifestyle wire needs to provide you with further guidelines.
If it's a reputable magazine with an experienced publisher, I would guess that the publisher wants abbreviated stories and lots of them. I would also assume that the publisher is looking for news, not opinion.
But, since anyone can publish an online magazine these days, it's impossible to say without more info. This person could just be throwing around the word "wire." You want to be careful. If the publisher is looking for a summary of news throughout a particular region or interest area, he/she might unknowingly be asking you to violate copywrite laws.

What is wire news?

rodelu

underthecity

Finestkind

Maryn

At Sea

Zelenka

Going home!

scottVee

rodelu

happywritermom

IceCreamEmpress

Hapless Virago

rodelu

happywritermom

happywritermom