Reuters Plucks at Blogosphere

By Geoff Duncan Published November 14, 2006

International news agency Reuters has invested $7 million in Pluck and entered into a partnership with the company’s BlogBurst blog network to syndicate blog content to major news media outlets.

“With Pluck, we will help our worldwide media partners offer their readers smart and fast access to the best in the blogosphere,” said Chris Ahearn, Reuters Media President, in a statement. “This is part of Reuters’ continuing strategy to embrace new digital platforms, including user-generated and moderated content as well as community tools, to deliver next-generation news and information.”

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BlogBurst carries more than 2,800 blogs and is already utilized by many major news outlets, including SF Gate, USA Today, the Washington Post, and the San Jose Mercury-News. Via BlogBurst, Reuters will present “useful and related” blog posts from its blog network alongside Reuters stories.

The move is yet another nod from mainstream media that some content carried by the so-called “blogosphere”—often self-published, opinion-laden sites independent of major news organizations—can be a compelling add-on to traditional journalism, particularly as the rise of the Internet and instant communications has made even the fastest, most efficient news bureaus seem a step or two behind online sources for major news stories.

The deal with pluck is Reuters second recent foray into Internet properties; last month, it opened a virtual news bureau within the Second Life online community.

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