Reuters Group PLC has invested $7 million US in online media syndicator Pluck Corp. and will distribute blog content, the news and information company said Monday.
Reuters will take an undisclosed ownership stake in the Austin, Texas-based company, whose BlogBurst network links news media websites to 2,800 blogs to bolster their opinion, insight and analysis.
The London-based media giant said it would distribute Pluck's content to its customers around the world.
"Our general view is that news is news," irrespective of whether it is produced by bloggers or professional journalists, said Chris Ahearn, president of Reuters Media division. "We don't take the view there is only one view you can trust and that we have it," he said.
Pluck executives said they would apply Reuters' investment to expanding its offerings globally, starting with Europe and then Asia.
Subject areas covered by BlogBurst include news, politics, entertainment, sports, technology, health, fitness, food and travel.
Pluck also offers a service called SiteLife, which lets media organizations incorporate reader-created content into their offerings along with their own journalists' work. That content can take the form of comments, personal blogs, photos and video.
