The infamous one-man band

It’s interesting to see a company like the Associated Press (AP) using the same convergence techniques that we’re using at the Schieffer School of Journalism. As the oldest wire service, the AP services members including the top news organizations (television, newspapers and radio) in the world. It’s a sort of “wholesaler” of news because the AP has people located in more places than any other news organization, ensuring that whenever news happens, someone is there.

But with the world of journalism changing rapidly across all mediums, the AP is playing catch up. In order to properly provide for their members, they now must be capable of more than just text stories, they must converge different formats. So during the past two years, the AP has trained 110 of their text reporters and still photographers to shoot video. As one host referred to it, the AP is trying to change a mindset; that mindset being that AP reporters don’t belong on television. So while they don’t expect them to look like or even shoot video like those working at the networks, the AP is trying to shift their public perception for print because using video is now a necessity. It's reminiscent of the beginning of a broadcast journalist's career where in a small starter market, reporters typically write, shoot and edit by themselves. This is typically referred to as the one-man band.
One of our hosts made the statement that it’s important for a company like the AP to stay relevant. News organizations are now trying to figure out how to pull more audiences in, one way being a greater variety of formats. Therefore the AP has to be able to provide video to its members. Text alone is simply not enough anymore.

Most members of the AP spend in the seven figures to use the their services. In fact, the cost of using the AP is the second biggest cost to news organizations after salary costs. This has led to some organizations, including most recently CNN, deciding to branch out on their own. But the benefit of the AP is having someone everywhere news could happen and CNN is now struggling to do just that. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see how this business decision develops.


While many see the AP as its own news entity, others often fail to realize that the news they’re reading is actually coming from the AP. In any case, the AP still plays an important role in political communication in Washington. The Washington bureau of the AP focuses mainly on news in Washington so anytime there’s political news, they’re often first to report it. But I think their representation in Washington is more important to the global sphere of communication because, as one host told us, the AP tries to not just report the news, but also to inform the public of its impact.