Associated Press
In May 1846, five daily newspapers in New York City gathered to form a new organization. They needed a way to share the high costs of sending news about the Mexican, American War across long distances. Moses Yale Beach, the second publisher of The Sun newspaper, organized this venture alongside the New York Herald, the New York Courier and Enquirer, The Journal of Commerce, and the New York Evening Express. This group initially called itself the New York Associated Press. By 1849, documents show that the New-York Tribune joined as a member. The New York Times became a member in September 1851.
The early years brought immediate challenges from competitors. In 1862, the Western Associated Press formed to criticize what they saw as monopolistic practices by the original group. An investigation completed in 1892 by Victor Lawson, editor of the Chicago Daily News, revealed a secret agreement between principals of the New York Associated Press and United Press. They had agreed to share news and split profits from reselling it. These revelations led to the demise of the New York Associated Press. In December 1892, the Western Associated Press was incorporated in Illinois as the Associated Press.
A 1900 Illinois Supreme Court decision declared the AP a public utility operating in restraint of trade. This ruling forced the organization to move its headquarters from Chicago to New York City, where corporation laws were more favorable to cooperatives. Melville Stone served as general manager from 1893 to 1921. Under his leadership, the AP grew into one of the world's most prominent news agencies.
In 1914, the AP adopted teletype for its New York service. This technology transmitted directly to printers over telegraph wires at speeds up to 60 words per minute. By 1935, the agency launched Wirephoto, the world's first wire service for photographs. The first image transferred over this network depicted an airplane crash in Morehouse, New York on New Year's Day 1935. Initially, the network connected only New York, Chicago, and San Francisco before expanding across the entire United States.
The agency entered the broadcast field in 1941 when it began distributing news to radio stations. It created its own radio network in 1974. In 1994, the AP established APTV, a global video newsgathering agency headquartered in London. APTV merged with Worldwide Television News in 1998 to form APTN. This entity provides video to international broadcasters and websites. The AP publishes 70,000 videos and 6,000 hours of live video per year.
By 2019, the AP operated more than 240 bureaus globally. As of 2025, the organization attracts more than 128 million monthly website visits. In June 2008, the AP debuted a dedicated iPhone application at Apple's WWDC event. This app offered worldwide coverage of breaking news, sports, entertainment, politics, and business alongside content from over 1,000 AP members.
In 1945, the Supreme Court of the United States held that the AP had been violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. The court found the agency prohibited member newspapers from selling or providing news to nonmember organizations. It also made it very difficult for nonmember newspapers to join the AP. This decision forced significant changes in how the cooperative operated its membership rules.
A recent legal battle began in February 2025 when restrictions preventing AP reporting were imposed by the second Trump administration. Two AP reporters were barred from covering several events at the White House because the agency refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America". On the 21st of February 2025, the AP sued the Trump administration in Associated Press v. Budowich for blocking their attendance. A federal judge declined to issue an immediate order compelling the White House to reinstate access on the 24th of February 2025.
On the 8th of April 2025, Judge Trevor McFadden ruled that the White House must lift the access restrictions while the lawsuit moves forward. However, on the 6th of June 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit imposed a stay upon the lower court's order. This allowed the White House to resume barring access to some media events.
In 2017, German historian Norman Domeier brought wider attention to a deal between the AP and Nazi Germany. The organization gave the regime access to its photographic archives for antisemitic propaganda. An estimated 40,000 photos were exchanged through couriers flying daily to Lisbon and back. These transactions occurred initially at the AP bureau under Luiz Lupi in Lisbon and later at the Stockholm bureau under Eddie Shanke from 1944 onward. The Swedish agency served as an intermediary cover. The AP was kicked out of Nazi Germany when the United States entered World War II in December 1941.
A controversial photograph appeared on the 29th of September 2000, during the first day of the Second Intifada. The image showed a badly bloodied young man behind whom a police officer could be seen with a baton raised. The AP captioned it "An Israeli policeman and a Palestinian on the Temple Mount." In reality, the injured man was Tuvia Grossman, a Jewish yeshiva student from Chicago. The police officer was Gidon Tzefadi, a Druze protecting Grossman from a Palestinian mob. Despite corrections published by the AP and other papers, the photograph continues to be used by critics of Israel as a symbol of aggression.
In May 2021, the AP fired news associate Emily Wilder after questions arose about her pro-Palestinian views expressed on social media. The agency stated that Wilder's previous activism played no role in her termination but cited multiple violations of its social media policy.
Since the Pulitzer Prize was established in 1917, the Associated Press has earned 59 awards. Thirty-six of these honors were for photography. In May 2020, Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan, and Channi Anand received the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. Their choice caused controversy because some interpreted the use of the word "independence" regarding Article 370 as questioning India's legitimacy over Kashmir.
The organization won an Academy Award in 2024 for the documentary film 20 Days in Mariupol. This first-person account covered the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It marked the first time the AP had ever received an Oscar for documentary filmmaking.
Beyond journalism awards, the AP conducts polls for numerous college sports in the United States. The AP college football rankings were created in 1936 and began including the top 25 teams in 1989. Since 1969, the final poll of each season is released after all bowl games have been played. The agency also releases the names of winners for its College Basketball Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards annually.
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Common questions
When was the Associated Press founded and by whom?
The Associated Press was founded in May 1846 when five daily newspapers in New York City gathered to form a new organization. Moses Yale Beach organized this venture alongside the New York Herald, the New York Courier and Enquirer, The Journal of Commerce, and the New York Evening Express.
Why did the Western Associated Press become the Associated Press in December 1892?
An investigation completed in 1892 by Victor Lawson revealed a secret agreement between principals of the New York Associated Press and United Press to share news and split profits from reselling it. These revelations led to the demise of the New York Associated Press and prompted the Western Associated Press to be incorporated in Illinois as the Associated Press in December 1892.
What technology did the Associated AP adopt in 1914 for its New York service?
In 1914, the Associated Press adopted teletype for its New York service which transmitted directly to printers over telegraph wires at speeds up to 60 words per minute. By 1935, the agency launched Wirephoto, the world's first wire service for photographs with the first image transferred depicting an airplane crash in Morehouse, New York on New Year's Day 1935.
How many Pulitzer Prizes has the Associated Press won since 1917?
Since the Pulitzer Prize was established in 1917, the Associated Press has earned 59 awards including thirty-six honors for photography. In May 2020, Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan, and Channi Anand received the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography.
When did the Associated Press win its first Academy Award for documentary filmmaking?
The organization won an Academy Award in 2024 for the documentary film 20 Days in Mariupol which covered the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This marked the first time the Associated Press had ever received an Oscar for documentary filmmaking.