Stringer

In journalism, a stringer is a part-time or freelance correspondent retained by a news outlet to file stories, photos, or video from a particular location or beat without being on staff. The term originated in the 19th century, reportedly from the practice of editors measuring a contributor's printed column inches with a length of string to calculate payment.

Stringers are central to how international news organizations cover the world cheaply. Wire services such as the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse, along with broadcasters like the BBC and CNN, rely on networks of local stringers to provide on-the-ground reporting from cities or conflict zones where maintaining a full bureau would be uneconomical. A stringer may be paid per filed story, per word, per published photo, or under a small monthly retainer.

For IR researchers and MUN delegates, the stringer system matters for several reasons:

• Coverage gaps: As Western outlets have closed foreign bureaus since the 2000s, reliance on stringers has grown, shaping which crises receive sustained attention.
• Source attribution: A datelined wire story from a remote conflict zone is often the work of a local stringer whose name may not appear in the byline for safety reasons.
• Press freedom risk: Stringers — frequently local nationals — bear disproportionate danger. The Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders have repeatedly noted that freelancers and stringers make up a significant share of journalists killed or detained, often without the legal and insurance protections afforded staff correspondents.
• Verification: Open-source investigators treat stringer-sourced material as primary reporting but weigh it against the outlet's editorial standards and the stringer's track record.

The term is distinct from a fixer (who arranges logistics, translation, and access for visiting journalists but does not typically file copy) and from a staff correspondent (who is salaried and benefits-eligible).