World News International (WNI) Ltd. was founded in 1982 in London, UK, by a visionary graduate as one of the earliest promoters of “citizen journalism”. People from all over the world were encouraged to send in their photos and videos, which were then distributed to the media against a provisional commission. Since there was no internet at the time, thousands of leaflets were printed and mailed by post all over the world to potential volunteers and affiliates.
There were many ways to participate in WNI’s unique network as an affiliated journalist, and the membership card provided further benefits to its holders. WNI Ltd. was originally registered at Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3JL (later renamed Rivington Street). Beyond the official address, the real “kitchen” was on the Southbank near Waterloo Road, in a business centre that perfectly fit the spirit of the project.
Due to unrelated circumstances – and not least because the Southbank location was demolished – WNI’s operations were halted and put to sleep indefinitely, even if there was a brief attempt to revive it in 1991 in another country that lasted about two to three years. Local bureaucracy and the rise of countless copycat undertakings in the USA and elsewhere diluted the original spirit of citizen journalism, often reducing it to nothing more than selling useless press cards.
Even the world-famous SIPA Press in Paris, France, eventually turned into a stock photo agency and was later sold to a much larger agency before its founder passed away. Despite all these developments, WNI – World News International – is once more alive in a new form: an internet-only press agency enjoying its revival after many years of ups and downs.
Today, in addition to current news from around the globe, WNI will focus on design, innovation, trade and trade fairs, with the aim of expanding globally through volunteers from all walks of life – people who have an idea, a word to say, or an image or two to share. Simul ut tendamus ad astra!
WNI was born in London’s creative heart, operating from business centres and offices that mirrored its international outlook. The city’s global energy shaped WNI’s ambition to connect contributors and newsrooms across continents long before the internet era.
Near Waterloo Road, a powerful inscription reads: “Go forth to every part of the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” This spirit of reaching out everywhere with meaningful stories has always been at the core of World News International.
WNI’s membership and press cards symbolised much more than access. They represented a pioneering network of citizen reporters, photojournalists and contributors who shared a belief in independent, global storytelling under the World News International banner.