The Associated Press

The Associated Press has been a breakthrough company since day one. They have created new technologies to help spread information around the world. Today, the Associated Press covers presidential elections, activities in the space program, and warfare. They create information used by 243 news bureaus in 97 countries, 121 countries use the Associated Press, and their news is sent out in four different languages. They bring news to customers twenty-four hours a day; with the online news service, one of the largest radio networks in the U.S., along with a “state-of-the-art” television news service. The Associated Press has a photo library, now above 10 million.

The Associated Press helped record and document many space accomplishments done by the United States. In 1962, when John Glenn orbited the Earth, The Associated Press allowed every teletypesetter (TTS) member newspaper in the U.S. to receive reports simultaneously by linking its TTS news wires together for the first time. In 1969, The Associated Press dispatched 70 reporters, photographers, editors, operators and technicians to Houston and Cape Kennedy, Florida, to document astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin landing on the moon on July 20. In 1984, The Associated Press becomes the first news organization the own a satellite responder.

The Associated Press made many great milestones in broadcasting news. 1970 was the year Atlanta became the first of ten computerized “hub” bureaus. The Associated Press sent a news file to several southern states by news and broadcasting wires. In 1972, computers were starting to take over. The computer was good for writing, editing, and filing stories. DataStream, introduced by the Associated Press, was a high-speed service that transmitted news reports at 1,200 words per minute. In 2005, the associated Press announced an online video news network. This was for newspapers, television, and radio websites in the U.S.

Photographs are one part of a news story that gives the reader a feeling of that the writer is trying to get across. In 1976, LaserPhoto and the first laser-scanned pictures for transmission produced better quality photos. This process used heat instead of chemistry, and a laser light instead of the outdated lamp system. In 1982, the Associated Press created the first satellite color photo network with LaserPhoto II. This created WirePhoto, which improved the quality and speed of Associated Press photos. PhotoStream was introduced in 1987. This is a high speed collection and delivery network for photos that uses satellite and digital technology. GraphicsBank was the first online archive of photos for television and news programs. GraphicsBank was created in 1991. In 1994, the Associated Press News Camera 2000 was introduced. This is the first of a series of digital cameras created for photojournalists.

The Government has also used the Associated Press for many things. On September 11, 2001, The Associated Press covered the al-Qaida terrorist attacks on the U.S. mainland, providing news of simultaneous catastrophes. In 2008, The Associated Press covered the presidential election. This was the first time a news agency had a continuous online live video stream.

The Associated Press is not only known nationally, but on an international scale, bringing information and news to the world.

Active Reading Notes:

1) How much does the AP make a year?

2) Do they get money for giving out their stories?

3) Does the AP every get fined for writing inaccurate stories?

4) How many employees does the AP have?

Opinion:

The Associated Press was and still is essential for the distribution of news around the world. Many inventions and milestones have been created and reached with this company to inform and distribute world news.

Discussion Questions:

1) Does the AP get money for their stories?

2) Was there ever a point when the AP as almost shut down?

3) How many stories has the Associated Press written?

4) How many countries has the AP reported on?

Bibliography:

· "History/Archives | The Associated Press." The Associated Press | The essential global news network. Web. 07 Sept. 2009. .

· "History/Archives | The Associated Press." The Associated Press | The essential global news network. Web. 07 Sept. 2009. .