Associated Press cutting workforce
The Associated Press plans to cut its workforce by 8% through layoffs and buyouts, further thinning an organization that’s been a cornerstone of America’s news infrastructure.
The cuts follow decisions earlier this year by two of the largest newspaper chains, Gannett and McClatchy, to mostly stop using AP as they cut costs.
Many newspapers are narrowing their focus on just local news and paying less for wire services that provide regional, national and international news.
Local news is their franchise but this trend is giving subscribers less comprehensive reports of what’s happening. It’s also further reducing resources that the AP has to cover news in every state and on every continent.
No wonder Americans are becoming more isolationist. If they still have a local newspaper, chances are good it’s not doing much to inform them of what’s happening in the rest of the country and world and how they might be affected.
AP spokesperson Lauren Easton declined to comment on how the loss of newspaper clients contributed to the cutbacks.
Revenue from U.S. newspapers has fallen to about 10% of AP’s revenue, down from 100% when AP was formed in 1846 as a cooperative to serve newspapers, Press Gazette reported in June.
AP CEO Daisy Veerasingham announced the cuts in a staff memo.
“We all know this is a time of transformation in the media sector. Our customers — both who they are and what they need from us — are changing rapidly,” Veerasingham wrote.
Veerasingham said accelerating the AP’s move toward a “digital-first news report” will “require making some difficult changes so we can invest more fully in our future.”
As an example of digital-first journalism, she noted recent election coverage with live video, visuals and “engaging interactives.”
The memo said less than half the cuts would affect news employees, and most affected employees are in the U.S.
An AP story reported that 121 News Guild members would be offered buyouts, and fewer than that many union members would be laid off.
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