ST. PETERSBURG, July 28. /TASS/. Irina Ryapolova, head of the Editorial Office of Information for Foreign Subscribers at TASS, delivered a presentation on TASS’s foreign language content offerings to the heads of African news agencies and media outlets at the second Russia-Africa Media Forum.
"In the current agenda and global situation, it is especially important for our foreign audience to receive news in their national languages reflecting the Russian point of view. That is why TASS has decided to intensify its efforts to publish news content in diverse foreign languages. Our competencies and longstanding, impeccable reputation in the professional media environment enable us to generate high-quality, foreign-language news products that fully adhere to TASS’s core principles of accuracy and objectivity," Ryapolova noted.
She emphasized that the agency's newswire feeds publish news content on a wide range of topics covering not only politics, economics and business, and international relations, but also events concerning social, cultural and humanitarian themes. "It is important that the feeds emphasize and highlight events that are of vital interest to a given region [of the world]. [Each subject area has] a separate, dedicated editorial team staffed by highly professional correspondents, translators and editors who provide the most in-depth coverage of their area," the TASS editorial executive stressed.
Product offerings
During the panel session, Ryapolova showcased the content offerings provided by the TASS English News Service, which is TASS’s primary, flagship newswire featuring political and social news for an international audience, publishing up to 300 news items round-the-clock every day. In particular, she mentioned the Russian Defense & Technologies newswire, an information and analytical feed devoted to covering military, technical and defense-related topics, as TASS’s flagship industry-specific product.
In 2021, the TASS Spanish-and French-language newsfeeds were launched, each publishing about 200 news items per day. In 2022, the agency launched dedicated newsfeeds in Chinese and Arabic, each featuring about 100 news stories per day. Access to all four feeds is free.
Results-oriented operations
In less than a year, TASS's new foreign-language newsfeeds have proven to be in high demand among professional audiences. The number of TASS subscribers has increased by 50%, and the foreign-language feeds have earned top ranking among the agency's most read products. "We are pleased with the results and give a high assessment to the prospects for further developing this product line," Ryapolova added.
She reiterated that TASS employs both traditional distribution channels - via FTP, API and email - and new high-tech platforms to quickly and seamlessly transmit information to subscribers. "The TASS news terminal is a modern operational tool enabling users to access information products in a round-the-clock mode. The terminal provides broad customization options thanks to a flexible range of settings and clear-cut, user-friendly interface. In addition, TASS news content in English, Spanish and French is now also available to a wide audience on our Telegram channels," Ryapolova elaborated.
In her final remarks at the presentation, the editorial executive noted that TASS cooperates with leading news agencies, TV broadcasters, publications covering socio-political issues, and other media outlets in Africa, and intends to expand its cooperation with them.
The second Russia-Africa Summit, along with an economic and humanitarian forum, is taking place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on July 27-28. Similar to the first such event in 2019, the summit is being held under the rubric "For Peace, Security and Development." The event is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS, which is the official information partner and photo-hosting agency for the summit and forum, is also hosting the second Russia-Africa Media Forum.