History of Associated Press in Timeline

The Associated Press (AP) is a non-profit American news agency established in 1846 and based in New York City. It functions as a cooperative, providing news to its members, including major U.S. newspapers, radio, and television broadcasters. The AP has been awarded 59 Pulitzer Prizes, with a significant number dedicated to photography (36). The AP is also recognized for its AP Stylebook, NCAA sports polls, sponsorship of NFL awards, and its election polls during US elections.

1900: Move to New York City

In 1900, an Illinois Supreme Court decision (Inter Ocean Publishing Co. v. Associated Press) holding that the AP was a public utility and operating in restraint of trade resulted in the AP's move from Chicago to New York City, where corporation laws were more favorable to cooperatives.

1914: Teletype adopted for New York service

In 1914, the AP adopted teletype for its New York service.

1917: Pulitzer Prizes Earned

In 1917, since the award was established, the Associated Press has earned 59 Pulitzer Prizes, including 36 for photography.

1921: Melville Stone's tenure ends

In 1921, Melville Stone, who had founded the Chicago Daily News in 1875, ended his service as AP general manager.

1925: Kent Cooper Leadership Begins

In 1925, Kent Cooper began his leadership of the AP, building up bureau staff in South America, Europe and the Middle East.

1927: Lobbying at the League of Nations

In 1927, Kent Cooper lobbied for the renegotiation of the tripartite contract binding the agencies and their respective news markets at the League of Nations, attempting to give the AP a more important place in competition with Reuters.

1935: Wirephoto Network Launched

In 1935, the AP launched the Wirephoto network, which allowed transmission of news photographs over leased private telephone lines on the day they were taken, initially between New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, eventually across the whole United States.

1936: College Football Rankings Created

In 1936, the AP college football rankings were created.

December 1941: AP Kicked out of Nazi Germany

The AP was kicked out of Nazi Germany when the United States entered World War II in December 1941.

1941: Entry into Broadcast Field

In 1941, the AP entered the broadcast field when it began distributing news to radio stations.

1944: Exchange of Photos in Stockholm

From 1944, the exchange of photos between Nazi Germany and the United States via Lisbon took too long, and photos were also exchanged at the AP bureau in Stockholm under Eddie Shanke, with Pressens Bild involved as an intermediary.

1945: Supreme Court Ruling on Antitrust Violation

In 1945, the Supreme Court of the United States held in Associated Press v. United States that the AP had been violating the Sherman Antitrust Act by prohibiting member newspapers from selling or providing news to nonmember organizations as well as making it very difficult for nonmember newspapers to join the AP.

1948: Kent Cooper Leadership Ends

In 1948, Kent Cooper's leadership of the AP ended after building up bureau staff in South America, Europe and the Middle East.

1949: College Basketball Poll Begins

In 1949, the AP first began its poll of college basketball teams.

1953: First Publicly Available Edition Published

The first publicly available edition of the AP Stylebook was published in 1953.

1959: Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award Began

In 1959, the AP began its Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award, for a manager in each league.

1960: Poll Reduced to 10 Teams

During the 1960–61 college basketball season, the AP college basketball poll was reduced to 10 teams.

1968: Poll Returns to 20 Teams

In 1968, during the 1968–69 season, the AP college basketball poll returned to 20 teams.

1969: Final Poll Released After Bowl Games

Since 1969, the final AP college football poll of each season has been released after all bowl games have been played.

1974: Creation of Radio Network

In 1974, the AP created its own radio network.

August 1977: First Modern Edition Published

The first modern edition of the AP Stylebook was published in August 1977 by Lorenz Press.

1984: Award Given to One Manager in MLB

From 1984, the AP's Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award was given to one manager in all of MLB.

1989: Poll Expands to 25 Teams

In 1989, beginning in the 1989–90 season, the AP college basketball poll expanded to 25 teams.

1989: Top 25 Teams Included

In 1989, the AP college football rankings began including the top 25 teams.

1994: Christopher Newton joins the AP

In 1994, Christopher Newton joined the AP as a reporter in Washington, D.C.

1994: Associated Press Television (APTV) Founded

In 1994, London-based Associated Press Television (APTV) was founded to provide agency news material to television broadcasters.

1994: Tina Susman kidnapped in Somalia

In 1994, Tina Susman, reporting for the AP on U.S. peacekeeping troops leaving Somalia, was kidnapped in Mogadishu by Somali rebels and held for 20 days. The AP requested news organizations to suppress the story.

1994: Establishment of APTV

In 1994, the AP established APTV, a global video newsgathering agency.

1998: APTV Merges with Worldwide Television News

In 1998, APTV merged with Worldwide Television News to form APTN, which provides video to international broadcasters and websites.

1998: AP Purchases Worldwide Television News (WTN)

In 1998, the AP purchased Worldwide Television News (WTN) from the ABC News division of The Walt Disney Company, Nine Network Australia and ITN London.

September 29, 2000: AP publishes mislabeled photograph during Second Intifada

On September 29, 2000, the first day of the Second Intifada, the AP published a photograph of a Jewish yeshiva student from Chicago named Tuvia Grossman, injured and being protected by a Druze police officer named Gidon Tzefadi, but mislabeled him as a Palestinian and the location as the Temple Mount. This photograph was subsequently published in major American newspapers. The true details were that Grossman had been attacked by a Palestinian mob.

2000: Last time Award Given to One Manager in MLB

In 2000, was the last time the AP's Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award was given to one manager in all of MLB.

2000: Christopher Newton fabricates sources for AP

Since 2000, Washington, D.C. bureau reporter Christopher Newton fabricated sources.

2001: Award Discontinued

In 2001, the AP discontinued its Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award.

September 2002: AP Fires Christopher Newton

In September 2002, Christopher Newton, an AP reporter since 1994, was fired after he was accused of fabricating sources since 2000, including at least 40 people and organizations.

2003: Launch of Live Video News Service

The AP was the first news agency to launch a live video news service in 2003.

2004: Headquarters Move

In 2004, the AP moved its headquarters from 50 Rockefeller Plaza to 450 West 33rd Street in Manhattan.

April 2006: Mannie Garcia takes photo of Barack Obama for AP

In April 2006, Mannie Garcia took a picture of Barack Obama for the AP that would later be used as the basis for Shepard Fairey's "Obama Hope" artwork.

2007: Revenue Diversification

By 2007, the AP was generating only about 30% of its revenue from United States newspapers.

2007: Google Pays for AP Content

In 2007, Google announced that it was paying to receive AP content, to be displayed in Google News.

2007: FBI agent impersonates AP journalist

In 2007, an FBI agent working in Seattle impersonated an AP journalist and infected a 15-year-old suspect's computer with surveillance software, leading to a strong statement from the AP.

January 2008: AP Sues All Headline News (AHN)

In January 2008, the AP sued competitor All Headline News (AHN) claiming that AHN allegedly infringed on its copyrights and a contentious "quasi-property" right to facts.

June 2008: AP sends DMCA take-down demands to blogs

In June 2008, the AP sent numerous DMCA take-down demands and threatened legal action against several blogs for allegedly violating the AP's copyright by linking to AP material and using headlines and short summaries. This action raised concerns about fair use and citation standards.

2008: Obama Hope artwork during the 2008 presidential election

Artwork titled “Obama Hope” and “Obama Progress”, based on an April 2006 picture taken for the AP by Mannie Garcia, was a popular image during the 2008 presidential election.

2008: Israel/Gaza conflict of 2008–09

In 2008, Israeli journalist Matti Friedman accused the AP of killing a story he wrote about the "war of words", "between Israel and its critics in human rights organizations", in the aftermath of the Israel/Gaza conflict of 2008–09.

March 2009: AP counter-sues Shepard Fairey over Obama image

In March 2009, the AP counter-sued artist Shepard Fairey over his famous image of Barack Obama, saying the uncredited, uncompensated use of an AP photo violated copyright laws and signaled a threat to journalism.

2009: Google News Licensing Dispute

In late 2009, the agreement between Google and AP to display AP content in Google News was interrupted due to a licensing dispute.

2010: Google News Licensing Dispute Resolved

In mid-2010, the licensing dispute between Google and AP was resolved, and AP content was again displayed in Google News.

January 2011: AP and Shepard Fairey settle lawsuit over Obama image

In January 2011, the lawsuit between the AP and Shepard Fairey over the "Obama Hope" image was settled, with both parties agreeing to share reproduction rights and profits from Fairey's work.

May 7, 2012: AP story about CIA operation

On May 7, 2012, the AP published a story about a CIA operation that prevented a terrorist plot to detonate an explosive device on a commercial flight.

April 23, 2013: AP Twitter account hacked, causing stock market flash crash

On April 23, 2013, hackers posted a tweet to AP's Twitter account about fictional attacks on the White House, falsely claiming that President Obama had been injured. The hoax caused a flash crash on the American stock markets, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly falling by 143 points.

May 13, 2013: U.S. Justice Department subpoenas AP reporters' telephone records

On May 13, 2013, the AP announced that telephone records for 20 of their reporters during a two-month period in 2012 had been subpoenaed by the U.S. Justice Department and described these acts as a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into news-gathering operations. The investigation was related to a May 7, 2012, AP story about a CIA operation.

September 2016: Justice Department report on FBI impersonation incident

In September 2016, a report by the Justice Department on the 2007 incident, where an FBI agent impersonated an AP journalist, resulted in the AP stating the report "effectively condone[d] the FBI's impersonation".

2016: Video Publication Stats

As of 2016, the AP publishes 70,000 videos and 6,000 hours of live video per year.

2016: AP News Reach

In 2016, news collected by the AP was published and republished by more than 1,300 newspapers and broadcasters. The AP operates 235 news bureaus in 94 countries, and publishes in English, Spanish, and Arabic.

2016: All-Time Top 25 Released

The AP released its all-time Top 25 college football teams in 2016.

December 2017: Judge rules in favor of the AP in lawsuit against the FBI

In December 2017, following a US court appearance, a judge ruled in favor of the AP in a lawsuit against the FBI for fraudulently impersonating a member of the news media in conjunction with the 2007 case.

2017: Number One Spots in the Poll

As of 2017, 22 different programs had finished in the number one spot of the AP college football poll since its inception.

2017: Top 100 Teams of All Time Released

In 2017, The AP released a list of the Top 100 college basketball teams of all time, based on poll appearances and No. 1 rankings.

2017: AP Content Engagement on Facebook

In 2017, a study by NewsWhip revealed that AP content was more engaged with on Facebook than content from any individual English-language publisher.

2017: Attention Brought to AP and Nazi Government Deal

In 2017, the German historian Norman Domeier brought to wider attention the deal between the AP and the Nazi government related to the interchange of press photos during the period in which the United States was at war with Nazi Germany.

2018: AP VoteCast Introduced

In 2018, the AP introduced a new system called AP VoteCast, which was developed together with NORC at the University of Chicago in order to further improve the reliability of its data and overcome biases of its legacy exit poll.

2019: AP Global Presence

In 2019, the AP had more than 240 bureaus globally.

May 2020: AP wins Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography

In May 2020, Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan, and Channi Anand of the AP were honored with the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. The choice caused controversy, because it was taken by some as questioning "India's legitimacy over Kashmir" as it had used the word "independence" in regard to revocation of Article 370.

May 2021: AP to review social media policies after journalist firing

In May 2021, the AP announced it would launch a review of its social media policies after questions were raised about the firing of a journalist who expressed pro-Palestinian views on social media. Some AP journalists signed a letter expressing concern over the termination of former news associate Emily Wilder, whom the AP said committed multiple violations of the company's social media policy. The AP has said that Wilder's previous activism played no role in her termination.

2021: Destruction of al-Jalaa Highrise housing AP's Gaza offices

During the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, the Israeli army destroyed the al-Jalaa Highrise, a building housing the AP's Gaza offices and Al Jazeera offices. In 2021, AP CEO Gary Pruitt stated he "had no indication Hamas was in the building" and requested the Israeli government to provide evidence for their claim that Hamas military intelligence was housed in the building.

January 10, 2022: AP announces plan to sell NFTs of photographs

On January 10, 2022, the AP announced it would start selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of their photographs in partnership with Xooa, with the proceeds being used to fund their operations.

April 2022: Gracia C. Martore Appointed Chairperson

Since April 2022, the chairperson of the AP's board of directors is Gracia C. Martore, former president and CEO of Tegna, Inc.

2022: Events during the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

In 2022, The AP experienced the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

March 2024: Gannett to discontinue AP content

In March 2024, Gannett, the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, announced that it would no longer use content from the AP.

March 25, 2024: Gannett to discontinue AP content goes into effect

Effective March 25, 2024, Gannett, the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, no longer uses content from the AP.

May 2024: Israeli Officials Seize AP Equipment amid Al Jazeera Ban

In May 2024, Israeli officials seized AP equipment broadcasting a live stream of Northern Gaza from the town of Sderot as part of a ban on Al Jazeera Media in Israel. The move was condemned by multiple journalism organizations, Israeli opposition politicians, and US government officials. The White House and the State Department engaged with the government of Israel at high levels to express their serious concern and ask them to reverse this action. Later that day, Israeli Communication Minister Shlomo Karhi announced via Twitter that the equipment would be returned to the AP and the Israeli Government would review the positioning of the AP broadcast to determine if it posed a security risk.

June 2024: Launching a Nonprofit

In June 2024, Axios reported that the AP would be launching a nonprofit with the goal of expanding state and local news, hoping to raise $100 million.

2024: Revenue from US Newspapers Declines

By 2024, AP's revenue from United States newspapers had declined to 10%.

2024: AP wins Oscar for 20 Days in Mariupol

In 2024, the AP won an Oscar for 20 Days in Mariupol, a first-person account of the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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February 2025: Restrictions Imposed by Trump Administration

In February 2025, the second Trump administration imposed restrictions preventing AP reporting in the U.S. Two AP reporters were barred from covering several events at the White House, because of the AP refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America”, as directed by the White House.

February 21, 2025: AP Sues Trump Administration

On February 21, 2025, the AP sued the Trump administration in Associated Press v. Budowich for blocking their attendance.

February 24, 2025: Judge Declines Immediate Order

On February 24, 2025, a federal judge declined to issue an immediate order compelling the White House to reinstate access to presidential events to AP, although he encouraged the White House to do so. The White House asserted that posing questions to the President is a privilege, not a right.

April 8, 2025: Judge Rules in Favor of AP

On April 8, 2025, Judge Trevor McFadden ruled that the White House must lift the access restrictions they placed on the AP while the AP v. Budowich lawsuit moves forward.