askanews

askanews is an Italian news agency specialising in the supply of multimedia information in text, photo and video formats. It was created in 2014 from the integration of ASCA (Agenzia Stampa Cattolica Associata) and TMNews, with the aim of forming a new information hub on the Italian market. The agency positions itself as one of the country's leading news providers, recognised for the completeness and timeliness of its constantly updated multimedia output, which is designed to be consumed on a range of devices. askanews operates two newsrooms, in Rome and Milan, and employs more than one hundred journalists, making it the second-largest Italian agency by number of journalists after ANSA. It produces a daily text news bulletin and a rich video flow distributed through a network of national and international online media. Its international reach is supported by a partnership with Agence France-Presse (AFP) and by a network of correspondents in foreign capitals including Brussels, New York and Moscow. The agency's mission is to offer impartial and in-depth information that tells the story of the world quickly and immediately through multimedia content, with an international and digital vocation. askanews serves as a supplier of multimedia journalistic content to online, local, national and international media outlets. Its clients include publishers that recognise the potential of textual and visual content, especially video, and that dedicate space to it, as well as corporate and institutional organisations. The agency also holds press services contracts for the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers; following a European tender in 2015, askanews was awarded Lot 3, corresponding to information services for the public administration. The askanews.it portal was launched in October 2014, and the agency continues to operate as a private Italian company.

askanews was born in 2014 from the integration of ASCA (Agenzia Stampa Cattolica Associata) and TMNews. ASCA was a press agency presided over by Giuseppe Cornetto Bourlot and directed by Gianfranco Astori, while TMNews was presided over by Brunetto Tini and directed by Claudio Sonzogno. The merger created a new information hub intended to compete among Italy's main news agencies. The roots of ASCA go back to 1969, when the Agenzia Stampa Cattolica Associata was founded as the Rome newsroom of a group of Catholic newspapers, including L'Eco di Bergamo, L'Ordine of Como, L'Adige of Trento and Il Cittadino of Genoa. The initial impetus came from Flaminio Piccoli, a Christian Democrat leader, and the first director was Gianfranco Barberini. In 1973 the full name was dropped in favour of the acronym ASCA, with the subtitle 'Agenzia quotidiano nazionale'. In 1986 control of the agency passed to Luigi Abete, a former president of Giovani Industriali and later vice-president of Confindustria. In 1988 Claudio Sonzogno was appointed director, a role he held until the merger with TMNews. TMNews had its own history. It was formerly APCOM and before that APBiscom, and it had already worked with the American television network CNN. APCOM was founded in early February 2001 under the name APBiscom by Lucia Annunziata, through a synergy of Italian and Swiss agencies and the American agency Associated Press. In 2003 APCOM came under the control of Telecom Italia; from 2009 it was acquired 60% by Sviluppo Programmi Editoriali S.p.A., owned by the Abete group, referring to the family of the same name, and by Brunetto Tini, Giuseppe Cornetto Bourlot, the Fontana family and Maria Paola Merloni. In December 2010, shortly before the interruption of its international collaboration with Associated Press, it changed its name to TMNews. From September 2011 its director was Paolo Mazzanti. Following the integration, askanews established itself as a multimedia agency with two newsrooms in Rome and Milan and more than one hundred journalists, making it the second Italian agency by number of journalists after ANSA. It produces a daily text bulletin and a rich video flow distributed through national and international online media, supported by a partnership with Agence France-Presse and a network of correspondents in foreign capitals including Brussels, New York and Moscow. The askanews.it portal was launched in October 2014. The agency also became the holder of press services for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers; with the reassignment of services through a European tender in 2015, askanews was awarded Lot 3, corresponding to information services for the public administration.

• 2015

  askanews awarded Lot 3 of the European tender for information services for the public administration.

• 2014

  askanews created from the integration of ASCA and TMNews; askanews.it portal launched in October.

• 2011

  Paolo Mazzanti became director of TMNews.

• 2010

  APCOM changed its name to TMNews.

• 2009

  60% of APCOM acquired by Sviluppo Programmi Editoriali S.p.A. and other shareholders.

• 2003

  APCOM came under the control of Telecom Italia.

• 2001

  APCOM (later TMNews) founded as APBiscom by Lucia Annunziata.

• 1988

  Claudio Sonzogno appointed director of ASCA.

• 1986

  Luigi Abete took control of ASCA.

• 1973

  The full name was dropped in favour of the acronym ASCA, with the subtitle 'Agenzia quotidiano nazionale'.

• 1969

  ASCA (Agenzia Stampa Cattolica Associata) founded as the Rome newsroom of a group of Catholic newspapers.

One of Italy's leading multimedia news agencies, recognised for completeness and timeliness, with an international and digital vocation.

• askanews.it news portal

  Online portal launched in October 2014, providing news, in-depth analysis and breaking news on economy, current affairs, politics, culture, entertainment and other topical themes.

• Daily text news bulletin

  A daily textual news service produced by the agency.

• Video news flow

  A rich video content stream distributed through a network of national and international online media.

• Multimedia content for media outlets

  Text, photo and video journalistic content supplied to online, local, national and international media.

1. 1askanews official websiteaskanews.it
2. 2Chi siamoaskanews.it
3. 3Askanews - Wikipedia (French)fr.wikipedia.org
4. 4askanews - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Iran, Trump: respinta la proposta di accordo sullo Stretto di Hormuzaskanews.it