Associated Press (AP) and Censorship
The Associated Press (AP) is a prominent American news-gathering service established in 1846, known for providing timely and objective news coverage to various media outlets. As the largest content provider in the United States, AP plays a significant role in shaping the news agenda, influencing what stories receive prominence across diverse platforms such as newspapers and broadcast stations. While AP has improved the flow of information globally, particularly during historical events like World War I, it was not originally founded with the intention to promote unrestricted information dissemination.
Censorship, in the context of the AP, can be viewed through the lens of editorial choices and the control exercised over the distribution of news. The organization has historically restricted its members from sharing news collected from sources outside of AP, which highlights a form of gatekeeping that impacts news availability. Legal challenges, such as the 1943 ruling in United States v. Associated Press, underscore the complexities of commerce and free speech in news media. Moreover, the diverse landscape of news reporting today indicates that while AP is a key player, other outlets contribute to a multiplicity of perspectives, potentially mitigating concerns over censorship. Ultimately, the editorial decisions made by AP and other news organizations reflect the ongoing balance between news selection and the public’s right to information.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Associated Press (AP) and Censorship
FOUNDED: 1846
TYPE OF ORGANIZATION: American news-gathering service that supplies subscribing members with timely coverage of events
SIGNIFICANCE: The universal recognition of the Associated Press has given it the ability to create a news coverage agenda
The number and variety of media outlets (newspapers, broadcast stations, cable channels) leads one to believe that the world has a diverse media system. In fact, much of the news presented on any outlet comes from wire services. In the United States, the single largest content provider is the Associated Press (AP). Even competing news services, including those operated by some of the country’s largest newspapers and broadcast networks, rely on AP to set the agenda for story prominence.
AP has been the gatekeeper of US news since the mid-1800s. Increased literacy, industrialization, improved communication technology, and a changing definition of news (from partisan content to nonpartisan content) are some of the reasons for the founding of AP. It was to serve as a news gathering cooperative to allow publishers to improve the quality of coverage and reduce news gathering costs. Members received timely coverage of domestic and international stories written in objective language.
AP has increased worldwide information flow. During World War I, AP helped break a news cartel created by France’s Havas news agency and Britain’s Reuters. (The French government had prohibited distribution of news about German successes in World War I, and that prohibition extended to international clients of Havas.) AP was not, however, established to promote the universal free flow of information. Members have been severely penalized for violating their agreements with AP. Threat of antitrust action from the attorney general forced AP in 1915 to begin allowing members to receive news reports from other wire services.
The governance history of AP suggests that rank-and-file subscribers once had little power. In 1943, a federal district court found that financial investments by ninety-nine of AP’s 1,247 members provided them control over the election of AP Board of Directors. Board members’ actions reflected the interests of more wealthy members of AP. One notable news dissemination controversy was whether AP should service the new and growing radio industry. Newspapers owning radio stations wanted to receive AP service; stations without radio properties opposed aiding a potential competitor. In turn, AP recognized that radio networks might lead to independent news-gathering organizations in competition with AP. The AP board in 1933 approved radio stations’ broadcasting AP news bulletins. Not until 1946 did AP create associate memberships for radio and television stations.
Federal Judge Learned Hand in United States v. Associated Press (1943) found the AP in restraint of commerce for prohibiting members from relaying news they collected to parties other than the AP. Hand’s decision supported the dissemination of news from as many sources as possible. Broad dissemination of news he concluded was virtually part of the First Amendment.
AP has monitored dissemination of its information to prohibit appropriation by nonmembers, but the prospect of AP’s censoring coverage of significant news events is unlikely. AP may be the single largest US news provider but other newspaper and television wire services in the United States and the world zealously cover the news. A multiplicity of news gathering increases the likelihood of newsworthy events receiving coverage.
News reporting, whether done by AP or another news agency, involves critical decision making and perhaps indirect censorship. The act of news reporting requires reporters and editors to make decisions about newsworthiness, including determining not only whether a story is reported but how much time or space a news medium devotes to reporting the story.
Bibliography
Cochran, Julia Kennedy. Ed Kennedy's War: V-E Day, Censorship, and the Associated Press. Louisiana State UP, 2012.
Halberstam, David. Breaking News: How the Associated Press Has Covered War, Peace, and Everything Else. Princeton Architectural, 2007.
"Our Story." Associated Press, www.ap.org/about/our-story. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.
Silberstein-Loeb, Jonathan. The International Distribution of News: The Associated Press, Press Association, and Reuters, 1848–1947. Cambridge UP, 2014.