Associated Press (via WRAL/The Hill)
U.S. center-left
Background
The Associated Press was founded in May 1846 when five New York City newspapers pooled resources to cover the Mexican-American War by telegraph, pioneering cooperative newsgathering in the United States. It reorganized as a formal cooperative in 1900 after an Illinois court found it was operating in restraint of trade, relocating to New York City where cooperative law was more permissive. By the mid-20th century it had grown into a global wire service with bureaus across Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East, and it expanded into broadcasting in 1941 when it began distributing news to radio stations. AP is structured as a nonprofit: revenue is reinvested into operations rather than distributed as dividends, and its board is elected by member news organizations. Media analysts at AllSides rated it 'Lean Left' in a May 2026 editorial review, identifying repeated patterns of left-of-center story selection, word choice, and framing, though they noted AP has historically hovered on the border between 'Lean Left' and 'Left.' Media Bias/Fact Check similarly rates it left-center but credits it with a high standard of factual sourcing. In February 2025, the Trump White House banned AP reporters from the Oval Office and Air Force One after the AP declined to adopt the administration's preferred term 'Gulf of America' in its international reporting; AP sued, a federal district court ordered its access restored, but the administration appealed and a stay was granted, leaving the dispute unresolved as of mid-2026.
Sources
- Associated Press – Wikipedia
- Associated Press Media Bias – AllSides (May 2026 review)
- Associated Press – Media Bias/Fact Check
- AP sues Trump White House for denying access over 'Gulf of Mexico' row – NPR
- Judge orders White House to give AP access to Oval Office – NPR
- The White House bans the AP indefinitely over 'Gulf of Mexico' – CNN
Profile compiled 2026-06-28; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.