What is a correspondent?
A correspondent is a journalist who reports for an outlet from a fixed base outside the newsroom, such as another country or a region. From that post, he or she follows everything newsworthy there. For regional news, the correspondent of a national outlet is a valuable press contact.
Written by Timon Hendriks · Last updated on 12 July 2026
How it works in practice
Correspondents are a newsroom's outposts. Foreign correspondents cover a country or region for papers, broadcasters, and wire services; regional correspondents do the same within a country for national outlets. Because they know their territory deeply, they look for stories beyond the incident: trends, background, and human stories that characterize the area.
For PR, correspondents matter when your news is strongly tied to a place. A national newsroom in the capital rarely picks up regional business news itself, but the correspondent in your region looks for exactly those stories. It works the other way too: with international news you can approach the correspondents based in that country.
Example
A shipyard in coastal Maine builds a sail-powered cargo vessel for a shipping company that wants to cut emissions. The yard tips off the New England correspondent of a national paper, who has covered the region's maritime industry before. For him this is a classic regional story with national relevance. The article runs prominently in the Saturday edition, with the yard at its center.
Common mistake
Sending regional news only to the national desk in the capital. The correspondent in your own region is the natural and far more promising entrance for that news.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a correspondent and a reporter?
A reporter works from the newsroom and goes wherever the news happens. A correspondent lives or works permanently in the area they cover and follows it continuously.
How do you find the correspondent for your region?
Check the bylines on regional stories in national outlets: the same name keeps appearing on news from that area. Author pages and mastheads often state explicitly who covers which region.