EOTO 1 Reaction: The Associated Press

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Associated Press's official logo

The topic that stood out to me the most from the EOTO presentations was the Associated Press (AP), after hearing all the commotion regarding them being denied access to the White House press briefings on the news. As a journalism student, this piqued my interest. After some research, it turns out that the AP will be excluded from briefings until they agree to change their widely used AP stylebook to reflect the President’s new name for the Gulf of Mexico, the “Gulf of America”. In response, the AP firmly stated that as an international news agency, it “must ensure that places, names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences.” In a tense stand-off between political messaging and journalistic integrity, this moment highlights just how important it is for the press to maintain editorial independence in the face of external pressure. 

Founded in 1846 by a group of New York City publishers, the Associated Press was born out of a simple but revolutionary idea: to pool resources to cover the Mexican-American War more efficiently. What started as a pragmatic solution to the high costs of war reporting quickly evolved into a global news network that has shaped the way information travels across borders and throughout time. 

smithsonianmag.com
A 1940 press pass for an AP reporter, Joe Abreu
What struck me most about AP’s story is how ahead of its time the organization was in recognizing the need for shared information infrastructure. At a time when newspapers were fiercely competitive and partisan, the idea of forming a cooperative to ensure accuracy, speed, and wide distribution of news was radical. It’s easy to forget that this was before the invention of the telephone or the internet– when news traveled by ship, horseback, and telegraph. The AP’s early adoption of the telegraph not only revolutionized the speed of reporting but also set a precedent for how journalism would embrace– and shape– emerging technologies. 

Likewise, the AP was a pioneer in another major media form: photojournalism. By the early 20th century, AP wasn’t just delivering stories through words, but capturing the world through powerful images that brought distant events into sharp, emotional focus. During World War II, they launched the first regular wire photo service, enabling images from the front lines to be published at a remarkable speed. Among its most iconic contributions was the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of the flag raising at Iwo Jima– a moment frozen in time that resonated far beyond the battlefield. Through innovations in both technology and access, the AP not only elevated photojournalism to a critical element of news coverage but also demonstrated that a single image could shape public perception and understanding of an event in ways words alone could not. 

Photo Credit: Joe Rosenthal              
US. Marines of the 28th Regiment raise a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Japan, Feb. 23, 1945

Today, the Associated Press remains one of the most trusted and far-reaching news organizations in the world, producing stories in multiple languages and supplying content to thousands of media organizations globally. In an era saturated with misinformation and biased reporting, the AP’s commitment to “accurate, independent, non-partisan journalism” stands as a critical safeguard for our democracy. 

For journalism students like me, the AP represents more than just a news service– it symbolizes the enduring values of truth, integrity, and public service that should guide our profession into the future. 

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