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The news, with the spin made visible.
Outlet profile

Associated Press (carried by The Washington Times, U.S. News, News-Gazette)

U.S. center-left

Owned byNonprofit news cooperative collectively owned by its member news organizations — U.S. newspapers and broadcasters; no single parent company or individual owner
FundingMember subscription and content-licensing fees from global media clients; philanthropic grants (81 grants totaling $60.9 million reported in 2023, from foundations including the Omidyar Network and Hewlett Foundation); commercial AI content-licensing deals with OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The AP was founded in May 1846 when five New York City newspapers pooled resources to cover the Mexican-American War, and was formally incorporated in Illinois in 1892. From its earliest years it pursued a nonpartisan stance, selling its wire reports to newspapers across the political spectrum. A 1945 Supreme Court ruling (Associated Press v. United States) found it had violated antitrust law by blocking competitors from joining, forcing it to open membership. Over the following decades it grew into one of the world's largest newsgathering organizations, with bureaus in over 100 countries. Beginning in the 2010s, AP began supplementing licensing revenue with philanthropic grants from private foundations, drawing criticism from some conservatives who questioned the influence of progressive funders. In February 2025, the Trump White House barred AP reporters from the Oval Office and other press-pool events after AP refused to adopt 'Gulf of America' in place of 'Gulf of Mexico' in its style guide; AP sued the administration, but a federal appeals court upheld the restrictions in June 2025, and as of July 2026 the ban remains in effect. Media watchdog AllSides moved AP to its 'Lean Left' category in a May 2026 editorial review — a marginal shift from 'Left' — while Media Bias/Fact Check rates it 'Left-Center' with high factual reliability.

Sources

  1. Associated Press – Wikipedia
  2. Associated Press Media Bias | AllSides
  3. AP's Bias Shifts from Left to Lean Left, But Barely | AllSides
  4. Associated Press (AP News) – Bias and Credibility | Media Bias/Fact Check
  5. AP sues Trump White House for denying access over 'Gulf of Mexico' row | NPR
  6. Judge orders White House to give AP access to Oval Office | NPR
  7. White House ban on Associated Press can continue, appeals court rules | CNN
  8. US Appeals Court Will Not Lift Limits on Associated Press Access to White House | U.S. News
  9. Daisy Veerasingham Named President and CEO of The Associated Press | Editor and Publisher
  10. How the Associated Press Got Its Start 175 Years Ago | Smithsonian Magazine

Profile compiled 2026-07-15; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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