Canadian Press

The Canadian Press (CP) is a non-profit Canadian multimedia news source. Begun in 1917, CP is dedicated to providing national and world news to Canadians, utilizing a large network of media partners. The CP relies on a satellite network to connect with newsrooms of hundreds of daily newspapers, radio, and television stations, sending and receiving news content.

History

During the First World War, Canadian newspaper publishers sought to bring home news of Canuck soldiers overseas. The CP was formed to assist in providing the Canadian public with print news of the war in Europe. In 1924, a federal grant of $50,000 paid for telegraph lines, effectively linking the nation, from East to West coast.

By 1951, the CP's french service counterpart, La Presse Canadienne, was created. Several years later, CP began supplying national and international news to radio stations across Canada. Over the next 50 years, the CP would grow to provide news services for radio, television, and the Internet.

News sources

The CP maintains six Canadian bureaus, located in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver. There are also CP staff correspondents based in St. John's, Fredericton, Quebec City, WInnipeg, Regina, Calgary, Victoria, and Washington. A series of news stringers (freelance journalists) is also maintained. The CP is the sole distributor of news from the Associated Press (AP).

How it works

A newspaper (for example, in Toronto), covers a disaster story in its city. In return, it gets coverage from an Edmonton newspaper about a police strike there. The CP is the link between these two papers, gathering materials from its members and working to ensure the important news of the day is covered and delivered in time for deadlines.

Style guides

The CP employs two English style guides: The Canadian Press Caps and Spelling, and The Canadian Press Stylebook. Both texts are designed to ensure a uniform writing, editing, accuracy, and consistency within the Canadian news organization. Referred to as the 'bibles' of the national news industry, these two books have become widely used in other fields, such as government, colleges, and business.

First published in 1965, The Canadian Press Caps and Spelling lists the proper capitalization, spelling, and abbreviation of words in the Canadian English language.

The Canadian Press Stylebook also looks at Canadian guidelines of capitalization and abbreviation, as well as exploring issues of relevant to the working journalist. These include libel, court coverage, ethics, and access-to-information laws.

References

• The Canadian Press Stylebook, 12th edition
• The Canadian Press Caps and Spelling, 15th edition