Which news agency has the most bureaus and correspondents worldwide: Reuters, AP, or AFP?

1. How Reuters stakes the claim — more journalists than rivals

Reuters emphasizes a dense reporting staff as its principal claim to scale, stating 2,600 journalists operating in 165 countries, producing content in multiple languages and positioning that headcount as proof of the largest journalist network. One source repeats Reuters’ internal descriptions and an additional description cites Reuters having “over 80 foreign news bureaus and hundreds of correspondents,” framing the agency’s advantage as a human‑resources lead rather than a sheer count of physical bureaus. This framing suggests Reuters measures dominance by journalist headcount and global country presence, which translates into breadth of reporting capacity rather than the number of discrete bureau offices. ^{[1] [7] [2]}

2. AFP’s counterclaim — more bureaus and editorial footprints

AFP’s published data points to a different metric: an editorial presence in roughly 260 cities, about 201 bureaus in 151 countries, and staff numbers around 2,400. Those figures imply AFP may have the widest geographic footprint measured by the number of bureaus or staffed locations, and the agency highlights multilingual distribution and local editorial desks as core strengths. If “most bureaus and correspondents” is interpreted as the largest number of staffed locations and bureaus, AFP’s numbers in the provided material position it ahead of Reuters and AP on that specific measure. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

3. AP’s vaguer public counts — reach without comparable bureau figures

AP’s materials in the set emphasize global reach—customers in nearly 150 countries and vast daily output—but they do not provide a clear, single figure for total foreign bureaus or total correspondents comparable to Reuters’ or AFP’s cited numbers. AP’s internal headcounts and U.S. bureau lists show extensive infrastructure domestically and strong worldwide distribution, but the absence of a directly comparable bureau tally in the provided AP documents leaves AP’s placement indeterminate on the specific question of “most bureaus and correspondents.” Thus AP remains a major global agency whose ranking depends on metrics not fully disclosed in these sources. ^{[8] [9] [6]}

4. Why definitions and metrics change the winner

“Most bureaus and correspondents” can be parsed in multiple ways: total journalists employed, number of staffed bureaus, number of editorial locations or cities with presence, or countries covered. Reuters wins on reported journalist headcount and country spread in the provided material; AFP appears to win on number of bureaus/editorial locations; AP’s public materials emphasize distribution reach and content volume but omit a clear bureau count for a direct contest. Different organizational incentives shape how each agency reports data—Reuters promotes journalist numbers, AFP highlights physical footprints, and AP underlines distribution—so apparent leadership depends on which metric you prioritize. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [6]}

5. Bottom line and caution for readers

Based on the supplied sources, the factual bottom line is: Reuters claims the largest journalist headcount, AFP claims the largest number of bureaus/locations, and AP’s comparable bureau/correspondent counts are not clearly stated in the provided material. The differing emphases suggest no single uncontested answer unless you define the metric precisely. Readers should request or consult audited, up‑to‑date organizational charts or third‑party media industry surveys if a single definitive ranking is required, because agencies often report selectively to highlight strengths aligned with institutional goals and public image. ^{[1] [7] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}