Associated Press (via PBS NewsHour)
U.S. lean left
Background
The Associated Press was founded in May 1846 by five New York City newspapers that pooled resources to share telegraph costs for covering the Mexican–American War. Originally called the New York Associated Press, it reorganized as an Illinois corporation in 1892 and relocated to New York in 1900 after a court ruling made Illinois law unfavorable to cooperatives. Through the 20th century it grew into the world's dominant wire service, distributing content to thousands of member outlets across print, radio, television, and digital platforms. As a not-for-profit cooperative, it reinvests revenue into newsgathering rather than distributing dividends. The AP has long positioned itself as nonpartisan and objective, but media bias trackers — including AllSides, which rated it 'Lean Left' in a May 2026 editorial review, and Media Bias/Fact Check, which calls it 'left-center' — note leftward editorial framing and more frequent fact-checking of conservative public figures. In February 2025, the Trump White House barred AP reporters from Oval Office press pools after the outlet refused to use 'Gulf of America' instead of 'Gulf of Mexico' in its style guide. A federal judge ruled the ban unconstitutional in April 2025 and ordered access restored; the AP continued to pursue the case in appeals court through at least November 2025. PBS NewsHour is among the many broadcast members that distribute AP content.
Sources
- Associated Press – Wikipedia
- Associated Press – Britannica
- Associated Press Media Bias – AllSides
- Associated Press (AP News) – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
- AP – Associated Press Bias and Reliability – Ad Fontes Media
- Judge orders White House to give AP access to Oval Office – NPR
- In Gulf of America case, AP renews legal fight to end White House ban – Washington Post
- Who Owns AP News? – St. Augustine's University
Profile compiled 2026-06-28; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.