The Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS) has seen a 15 per cent increase in page views on its anglicannews.org website over the past 12 months. Just under half-a-million users visited the ACNS website in 2018. The most popular item – one that crashed the website on the day it was published – reported that Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of the US-based Episcopal Church had been asked to preach at the first of two royal weddings for Britain’s royal family during the year – between the US actress Meghan Markle and the Queen’s grandson, Prince Harry.
During 2018, ACNS launched weekly digests in French and Spanish. This service will be extended in January 2019 with the launch of a new Portuguese digest. Other improvements saw cosmetic changes to the website to allow for larger crisper photos and more control over the options on the front page. There has also been an increase in the use of videos and the introduction of video news reports.
ACNS has continued to benefit from its relationship with international partners, including the US-based Episcopal News Service; the Anglican Journal from the Anglican Church of Canada; and Anglican Taonga, from the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. News tips and information were supplied by provincial communications staff around the Communion.
Most material is produced in-house at the Anglican Communion Office in London, England, with the support of a small team of stringers and freelancers. Over the course of 2018, ACNS published “on-the-ground” reports filed by staff and stringers in Canada, Chile, England, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, Kenya, Panama, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, and Malaysia.
“The Anglican Communion News Service is a powerful tool to help members of the Anglican Communion hear about their brothers and sisters elsewhere in the Communion”, ACNS Editor Gavin Drake said. “The growth in 2018 is encouraging and we will continue to innovate in 2019 as we work to shine a light on the Anglican part of God’s Kingdom.”
At the end of 2018, the last printed edition of Anglican World magazine as a subscription magazine rolled off the presses for distribution to what Gavin Drake desscribed as “its small but loyal band of readers”. It will be re-launched later this year as a free-to-download online annual report.
The top three stories published in 2018 are:
1
12 May 2018: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ask Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to preach at wedding
The Presiding Bishop of the US-based Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, will preach at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
2
11 May 2018: President Trump’s “America first” policy is “a theological heresy for followers of Christ”
Christian leaders including Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of the US-based Episcopal Church plan a march and vigil at the White House.
3
8 October 2018: South American woman makes history as the MU’s first non-British Worldwide President
Sheran Harper from Guyana, Anglican Church in the Province of the West Indies, has been elected Mothers’ Union Worldwide President.