The book Interfax: Breaking Into Global News is released

The book Interfax: Breaking into Global News by Professor of Journalism Oliver Boyd-Barrett, a renowned expert on the media and the author of dozens of authoritative publications and works about leading news agencies such as Reuters, AFP, AP and others, has been published in English in the United Kingdom. This is the first time that a world famous media specialist has made a Russian news agency the subject of his extensive professional research.

The publication of Interfax: Breaking into Global News in 2014 coincides with the 25th anniversary of Interfax.

The book describes in detail how Interfax for a quarter of a century has been and remains the main source of information about events in Russia.

It is an account of a company which, using news as the basis for its development and remaining committed to principles of independence, impartiality, objectivity and reliability, has moved forward into related markets, started exploring innovative areas of activity, and has created advanced information and analytical business solutions for a global audience.

The chapters are devoted to a variety of structures and services of the Interfax Group, with particular attention given to the agency‘s core divisions which have made the Interfax brand internationally recognizable - the General and Political News Service and Business and Financial News Service.

The author dwells in detail on Interfax‘s high-tech information and analytical products, intended for decision-making in politics and business (SPARK and SCAN). He analyzes Interfax‘s development of new segments of the financial information market in cooperation with international companies Moody‘s, Experian and Dun & Bradstreet, in partnership with which Interfax publishes ratings and provides risk and management quality assessment services.

A separate chapter analyzes Interfax‘s geographical expansion and how it has turned into an international player in the global information market, offering news and analytical products "from all over the world for the entire world." The first step in this direction was the launch of the Interfax Global Energy project and the creation of a competency center for the global gas market.

The final chapter tells about Interfax‘s strategy for further growth and focus on B2B, and about the risks and main challenges Interfax may encounter in the foreseeable future.

Interfax: Breaking Into Global News is based on proprietary, primary sources of the author, his conversations and interviews with the top managers of the Interfax Group, a selection of the Group‘s largest clients and business partners, competitive intelligence, and public sources covering key trends in the Russian and other emerging media markets.

"The story of Interfax has rich instructive value for professionals, teachers and students of journalism and media," Professor Boyd-Barrett said. "Interfax is indispensable to professional reporting of general, political, economic and financial news of Russia, the former Soviet Union and much further afield. It is an important and innovative model for how a news agency can sustain both editorial independence and business autonomy in challenging contexts. A unique exemplar among news agencies of the economics of news reporting, Interfax deserves the attention of all who care about the economic viability of international news reporting," he said, describing the book.

"I believe Professor Boyd-Barrett got interested in studying the phenomenon of Interfax because the circumstances of Interfax are absolutely unique. It is practically the only national news agency to grow into an international information structure, which is one of the most cited information sources in the leading world media and which enjoys great respect of its subscribers and clients all over the world," Interfax Group Chairman and CEO Mikhail Komissar said regarding the book‘s publication.

(Our editorial staff can be reached at eng.editors@interfax.ru)