MOSCOW. June 6 (Interfax) - Interfax has topped the Media Union's rating list of news agencies and news web portals that are mentioned and cited most frequently by central and regional media outlets.

The Media Union drew up its ratings after monitoring a data file provided by Integrum-Techno, a leading Russian database, from January 1 to December 31, 2006. The research involved 976 Russian central press publications, 1,921 Russian regional press publications, and 774 Russian-language news web resources.

Interfax was ranked first on the Media Union's rating list of news sources the most frequently cited by central press outlets with 20,313 hits. It is significantly ahead of its principal competitors, such as Reuters (17,680 hits), ITAR-TASS (11,003), and RIA Novosti (8,288).

In terms of quotations in regional press, Interfax has also been recognized as the absolute leader with 15,779 hits. Following Interfax on this list are RIA Novosti (9,027 hits) and ITAR-TASS (8,676).

In addition to Interfax, Reuters, RIA Novosti, and ITAR-TASS, the Media Union's rating list also includes Prime-TASS, Rosbalt, Gazeta.ru, Lenta.ru, RBC, and Regnum.

An explanatory note to the research says that it was based on a natural language using combination of words, logical operators, and context limitation. The mentioning of news agencies in their own publications or on their websites was ignored in compiling the list.

Media Union, a Russian national non-governmental organization of media workers (www.mediasoyuz.ru) was set up in Moscow in December 2000 to promote the activity of the media and independent journalists in Russia, defend freedom of speech and of the press, and provide journalists with social protection. The Media Union's board comprises the managers of major federal and regional media outlets. Media Union's president is the prominent journalist Alexander Lyubimov.

Integrum-Techno, a leading Russian database search service, embraces 6,704 sources and includes 150.99 million full-text documents managed by a linguistic search engine.

The Interfax Information Services Group provides information products and means of communication for politics and business.

Since the start of the 1990s, Interfax (www.interfax.ru has been the main source of current reports on Russia and the rest of the Commonwealth of Independent States for the international community.

It is the most frequently cited source of information in foreign media reports from this part of the world and is one of the world's most often used sources of current news.

In recent years, Interfax has also become a leading source of political and financial news from European emerging markets and China.