The Associated Press is one of the largest and trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers, and commercial customers. It is a not-for-profit news cooperative that is owned by American newspaper and broadcast members.
It has covered all the major news events of the past 165 years, providing quality, informed reporting of everything from wars and elections to championship games and royal weddings.
The Associated Press has been first to tell the world of many of history’s important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul. During its early years, The Associated Press delivered news by pigeon, pony express, railroad, steamship, telegraph, and teletype. In 1935, it began sending photographs by wire. A radio network was formed in 1973, and an
international video division was added in 1994.
Today, it employs the newest technology to collect and distribute content. The Associated Press is in the process of repairing its video and photography content: transitioning to high-definition, expanding its coverage and building a new and flexible infrastructure. It has one of the industry’s most sophisticated digital photo networks; a 24-hour continuously updated online, multimedia news service; a state-of-the-art television news service; and one of the largest radio networks in the U.S.
The Associated Press’s commercial digital photo collection is one of the world's largest collections of historical and contemporary imagery. AP Mobile, the Associated Press’s award-winning news app, has been downloaded over 9 million times since its launch in 2008.
Since the Pulitzer Prize was established, in 1917, The Associated Press has received 51 Pulitzers, including 31 photo Pulitzers.
The Associated Press was founded in 1846 and is headquartered in New York with more than 280 offices worldwide, including every statehouse in the U.S. Most of its staffers are
journalists and editors, and The Associated Press has more than 3,700 employees.