Internl News Services

Four services provide the majority of the international news available to most nations of the world: Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press and United Press International. All are based in Europe or the U.S. and so reflect the interests of readers in those portions of the world. In this brilliant and exhaustive examination of these servicesplus the news-gathering groups that have tried and are trying to supplement themFenby, a former correspondent and editor for Reuters, argues that the ""Big Four'' do a credible job despite thin staffing and economic hardships. Third World countries do not see it that way, however, he notes; using UNESCO as a spearhead, they have demanded more and better coverage, complaining that the ``Big Four'' accentuate the negative aspects of news from their parts of the world. But many emerging nations also seek to maintain government control of the flow and content of news, so that the problem of editorial objectivity eludes a simple resolution, in Fenby's view. (March 25)