ABOUT CNA

The Cyprus News Agency (CNA) is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors comprising professional media representatives. According to the law governing the Agency, CNA is an independent, autonomous and non-aligned organisation. Ιt is not affected nor is it subject to influences which question the impartiality, the accuracy and the content of the news items it files and under no circumstances can the Agency be placed under the control of any political, partisan, financial or other group, nor can it promote or serve the interests of any of the afore-mentioned groups.

CNA, as part of its mission, files news in Greek and English, through subscription, and in Turkish and Arabic on free access. It provides a photo service (covering daily events and library photos) which is continuously enhanced with the addition of photographs from local, Greek and international news. CNA is a fundamental source of information for all diplomatic representations of the Republic of Cyprus around the world. News items filed by the Agency are used to inform government officials, members of parliament and other dignitaries and to issue press releases in different languages. The Agency files four daily news dispatches (a summary of the most important news stories in the past 24 hours, a review of the Greek Cypriot press, a review of the Turkish Cypriot press and a news bulletin on activities of Cypriots living abroad) addressed to overseas Cypriot and Greek organisations as well as media in various countries. CNA maintains, in addition to its editorial and non-editorial staff at its headquarters in Nicosia, a network of correspondents in the cities in the southern government-controlled part of Cyprus as well as in the northern Turkish occupied areas of the Republic. Further than that, CNA has correspondents in important decision-making centres abroad (Athens, Brussels, London, New York, Istanbul).  CNA journalists go on special missions abroad to cover important visits by the President of the Republic and government officials as well as visits by members of the House of Representatives.

Legal Framework (Greek only): THE CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY LAWS OF 1989 TO 2009 (Consolidated) and The Cyprus News Agency (Amendment) Law of 2011

Background

The Cyprus News Agency was officially established on February 16, 1976 at the initiative of the then Director General of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) Andreas Christofides, who saw the need for a national news agency for Cyprus.

In 1976, Andreas Christofides assigned to Andreas Hadjipapas, a journalist working for CyBC, the task of dispatching a daily news bulletin in English to Reuters and the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool. In 1984, CNA expanded its activities, hired journalists and other staff and secured translation and distribution of its dispatches in other languages apart from English.

In 1989, the Cyprus House of Representatives approved legislation providing for the operation of the Cyprus News Agency as a “semi-governmental” news organisation with full editorial independence.

In 1996, an important year in the development of CNA, news in Greek was introduced, to meet the needs of the privately-owned local media. The Agency created its own home page on the Internet. A landmark in CNA’s history is the signing in 1996 of a cooperation agreement with the Athens News Agency (ANA), which provided CNA with its first computerised editing system.

In 2002, CNA introduced news in Turkish, a service disseminating press releases issued by various organizations and other groups and its own photo service, offering local coverage of news events in Cyprus, Greece and elsewhere. In 2005, CNA launched, in cooperation with the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CYTA), a news service (WAP), under the general title VODAFONE LIVE.

In 2012 CNA, as part of its effort to upgrade its services, launched three new web pages in Greek, English and Turkish providing its subscribers with a modern and flexible working environment. The same year, as part of its policy for more openness to the citizens, CNA began transmitting news bulletins in Greek and English, under the titles “TEN” and “CNA NEWS”, respectively. In addition to that, the Agency offers a subscription service through which press releases are available on free access on its website. CNA has also introduced a service providing useful information.

In 2014, CNA entered the world of social media, on Facebook and Twitter. In 2015 the Agency, in cooperation with Nicosia University, introduced mobile applications. The same year CNA set up its own video service and inaugurated its own TV studio. A year later, it introduced its new home page, more flexible and responsive to all electronic devices.

In 2017 CNA began the dispatch of news items in Arabic.

Mission

To provide a public information service about Cyprus, comprehensively, with accuracy and objectively, with the aim of serving the democratic, social and cultural needs of Cypriots and foreign nationals residing in Cyprus, of Cypriot expatriates and any interested international or national news agency or foreign press organisation. CNA has evolved into a regional information hub through technological upgrading and reinforcement of its human resources.

Values

• Citizen-centric approach
• Professionalism
• Validity
• Objectivity
• Reliability
• Accuracy
• Independence
• Non-acceptance of external interventions
• Not serving political, party, financial or other group interests
• Strict adherence to the code of journalistic ethics
• Compliance of the Agency with the General Data Protection Regulation

International Information – Representing Cyprus

CNA has a rich activity abroad, representing Cyprus at the level of national news agencies. It is a member of alliances/associations of news agencies, has signed a large number of bilateral cooperation agreements with international and national news agencies, as well as with important organisations in Cyprus. The goal, is for CNA, through these partnerships to continuously expand its partners and reach as many recipients as possible, serving the mission entrusted to it by the State.>

CNA produces daily around 200-250 news in the Greek language, 20-25 news in the English language, 10-15 news in the Turkish language and 7-10 news in the Arabic language. The news in English, Turkish and Arabic language are selected because they aim to inform readers abroad. Foreign media that have correspondents in Cyprus make use of CNA news, as do foreign diplomatic missions accredited to the Republic of Cyprus. The diplomatic missions of the Republic of Cyprus abroad, in addition to being informed about the developments in Cyprus, translate CNA’s news stories into various languages for promotion but also for the information of governments and officials in the countries they are accredited.

CNA, through its newswire, photographic and audio-visual material, presents Cypriot positions and Cypriot current affairs abroad. The Agency is well regarded for its validity by international, regional and national media, as well as national governments, through their diplomatic missions that are accredited in Cyprus.

Collaborations

CNA has signed cooperation agreements and protocols with the following: Cyprus Radio and Television Authority, Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, Human Resources Development Authority (AnAD), Cyprus Federation of Employers and Industrialists (OEB), the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KEBE), the University of Cyprus, Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK), Frederick University, Nicosia University, European University of Cyprus, Neapolis University of Paphos, the Open University, the Cyprus Academy of Public Administration (CAPA), the Cyprus Theatre Organisation (THOK), the Foundation to Promote Research (IPE), the Cyprus Olympic Committee (KOE) and the Institute of Cyprus.

CNA currently has commercial agreements with Reuters, AFP, and TASS, as well as cooperation agreements with ANA/MPA (Greece), SANA (Syria), XINHUA (China), ANSA (Italy), IRNA (Iran), APS (Algeria), ATA (Albania), AGERPRES (Romania), PRENSA LATINA (Cuba), TANJUG (Serbia), UKRINFORM (Ukraine), EFE (Spain), BTA (Bulgaria), YONHAP (South Korea), MENA (Egypt), QNA (Qatar), MTI (Hungary), NNA (Lebanon), TELAM (Argentina), BUANEWS (South Africa), WAFA (Palestine National Authority), MAP (Morocco), Armenpress (Armenia) and KUNA (Kuwait), BNA (Bahrain) and ONA (Oman).

CNA is a member of the World Congress of News Agencies (WCNA), the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA), the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies (AMAN), the Association of News Agencies in SE Europe (ABNA-SEE) and the Association of Black Sea News Agencies (BSANNA). CNA is very active in all these organisations from various posts.

Financial resources

- Subscribers to newswire services - Subscribers to photo service - Subscribers to press release service - Exploitation of video service - Advertisements on websites - European and/or other programmes - Collaborations with news agencies and other journalistic organisations - State Aid

Diaspora

CNA also acts as a connection link for the Cypriot diaspora, through the preparation of special broadcasts addressed to expatriate organisations and expatriate media. The Agency broadcasts the following to expatriates daily: 1. News bulletin with all the events of the last 24 hours 2. Cypriot Press Review 3. Turkish Cypriot Press Review 4. Expatriate Activity Bulletin

Management/Administration