Australian Associated Press
| Company type | Not-for-profit |
|---|---|
| Industry | News agency |
| Founded | 1935 |
| Founder | Keith Murdoch |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Australia, New Zealand, international |
Key people | Emma Cowdroy (CEO), Andrew Drummond (Editor), Jonty Low (Board Chairperson) |
Number of employees | Approximately 90 journalists plus management and support staff |
| Website | aap |
Australian Associated Press Ltd (AAP) is an Australian news agency established in 1935 by Keith Murdoch.
With approximately 90 journalists employed, AAP operates bureaus throughout every Australian state and territory except the Northern Territory. It also maintains correspondents in New Zealand and London, supplemented by contributors from regions including the US, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Its domestic reporting is further strengthened through partnerships with leading international news agencies.
While its core emphasis lies on delivering breaking news, AAP is well-regarded for its coverage of court proceedings, sports, politics, feature articles, photography, and the production of video content and visual explainers. It stands as one of the few remaining independent non-governmental newswire services worldwide.
History
Australia’s initial link to global telegraph networks was established in 1871 when the British-Australian Telegraph Company completed a submarine cable connecting Java to Darwin. The Eastern states became connected via Adelaide with the completion of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line in 1872, dramatically reducing news transmission time from Europe from weeks to mere hours. To offset the substantial transmission expenses, Melbourne’s The Argus collaborated with The Sydney Morning Herald and negotiated with Reuters for news delivery rights, which led to pioneering copyright legislation in 1871 safeguarding electronically transmitted news content.
Prior to 1895, overseas news was supplied by three entities: The Argus group, The Age group, and Reuters. These merged in 1895 to form the Australian Press Association (APA), securing an exclusive contract with Reuters. A 1909 Senate inquiry criticized APA as a monopolistic cartel, which briefly encouraged competition. In 1911, the United Cable Service was created to rival APA for Reuters access, serving newspapers like The Sun and The Herald. Keith Murdoch managed this service between 1915 and 1921. By 1926, APA and United Cable Service agreed to share Reuters access; in the early 1930s they collaborated on an 'omnibus' service dividing routine news responsibilities.
Following closures among some APA-affiliated newspapers, discussions culminated in a merger arranged by Murdoch in 1935 that founded the Australian Associated Press (AAP) as a not-for-profit cooperative owned by 14 newspaper shareholders. Launching with a staff of twelve and bureaus in London and New York, Murdoch chaired the organization until 1940. The AAP’s founding principles prioritized delivering "the most accurate and most searching information... without political partisanship or bias." Initially concentrating on international news, its remit broadened over time.
In 1947, AAP acquired shares in Reuters, gaining both profit participation and board representation. By the 1950s, it partnered with Reuters to deploy correspondents throughout Asia. During the 1970s, AAP expanded its reporting to include federal parliamentary coverage from Canberra alongside courts, sports, racing, and financial markets. By 1972 it maintained correspondents in Beijing, Los Angeles, Port Moresby, Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Singapore, Suva, Wellington, as well as all Australian states and territories. Its newsroom grew from 40 journalists in 1970 to 120 by 1980 amid significant staff turnover.
AAP introduced a comprehensive domestic news service in 1980 and transitioned from a not-for-profit entity to a commercial organization during that decade. An attempted acquisition by News Corp Australia, led by Rupert Murdoch through purchasing Fairfax shares in 1988, was blocked by the Trade Practices Commission. After reporting for six decades in Papua New Guinea, AAP closed its bureau there in 2014—a decision criticized for diminishing coverage quality of PNG affairs. The Jakarta office ceased operations in September 2017 after 35 years; subsequently AAP shifted its Asian coverage strategy to rely on international newswires and freelance journalists based within Australia. In June 2018, approximately 10% of editorial personnel were laid off amid industry challenges. Following a $10.45 million loss in 2018, AAP returned to profitability with a $929,000 gain recorded in 2019.
New Zealand Newswire
After the New Zealand Press Association ceased operations on 31 August 2011, AAP introduced the New Zealand Newswire (NZN) on 5 September 2011, establishing offices in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. NZN staffed 14 journalists across Auckland and Wellington. The division responsible for digital news video was discontinued in September 2017. Ultimately, the NZ Newswire segment was closed on 27 April 2018, marking the conclusion of independent news agencies within New Zealand, although AAP maintained two full-time journalists based there.
AAP 2.0
On 20 March 2020, AAP’s shareholders declared their intention to discontinue the newswire, attributing the decision to untenable competition posed by free online news content. However, shortly before the planned closure in June, a group of impact investors and philanthropists led by Peter Tonagh—a former executive at News Corp and Foxtel—acquired AAP. This consortium, motivated by a commitment to preserving media diversity, included prominent individuals such as Nick Harrington, philanthropist John McKinnon, Fred Woollard from Samuel Terry Asset Management, and Kylie Charlton representing Australian Impact Investments. Comprised of 35 investors from five states, the group reportedly purchased AAP for a nominal sum of $1. In the year preceding this transaction, AAP had reported losses totaling $10 million, with $5.4 million attributed specifically to the newswire operation.
Reestablished as a not-for-profit entity on 1 August 2020 under the same name but commonly referred to as 'AAP 2.0,' the newswire was acquired by Acta Diurna AAP Limited—a corporate structure created by Harrington and McKinnon and named after ancient Rome’s public daily records—and later rebranded as Australian Associated Press Limited. Andrew Drummond continued in his role as editor, while Emma Cowdroy was appointed CEO, making her the only female leader of a news agency worldwide. Jonty Low assumed the position of board chairperson—the first woman and first individual without a media background to hold this role—with Peter Tonagh joining the board as well. Nick Harrington briefly served as head of strategy and development before stepping down in September 2020.
Following its relaunch, AAP operated with a reduced workforce and less frequent news coverage, requesting existing clients to renew contracts at unchanged prices despite diminished service levels.
Operations
Originally concentrating on international affairs and war correspondence, AAP evolved into an indispensable source for domestic and breaking news coverage. While major newspapers once maintained extensive parliamentary press galleries in Canberra, currently only AAP and ABC reporters retain a substantial presence there. As a result, AAP is regarded as an unseen yet vital partner for Australian news organizations, with most heavily dependent on its newswire material.
By the 2010s, it became common for newspapers to republish AAP content with minimal modifications, often omitting the 'AAP' byline altogether. This phenomenon—often referred to as 'churnalism'—is widespread among online news platforms aiming to reduce costs. Research indicated that leading outlets such as The Daily Telegraph and The Age sourced over half of their online breaking news directly from AAP or international wire services without significant alteration. Furthermore, AAP frequently disseminated press releases with little editorial change, contributing to extensive recycling of media release content via its service.
After the 2020 acquisition and relaunch, AAP scaled back its editorial staff to approximately 80 positions along with around 10 roles in management, IT, and support functions. On 5 September 2020, CEO Emma Cowdroy publicly acknowledged severe financial difficulties due to clients favoring short-term agreements amid expectations that News Corp Australia's NCA Newswire would enter the market following expiration of a non-compete clause in February 2021. To mitigate funding shortfalls, AAP initiated public crowdfunding campaigns and sought government assistance. Subsequently, on 18 September 2020, it received a $5 million grant from the federal government’s Public Interest News Gathering fund.
Services
In addition to its primary newswire operations, AAP manages FactCheck, a fact verification service recognized by the Poynter Institute's International Fact-Checking Network. FactCheck collaborates with Facebook to authenticate content shared on the social media platform.
Historical Overview
AAP introduced its telecommunications branch, AAPT, in 1991, providing long-distance voice and data communication services. This division was later separated and sold to Spark New Zealand in 2000, followed by a transfer to TPG Telecom in 2013. During the 1970s, AAP initiated 'Formguide', a publication dedicated to horse racing information, and in the 1980s launched 'MediaNet', a service for distributing press releases. The company expanded further in 2002 by acquiring the sub-editing firm 'Pagemasters'.
After AAP's transition in 2020 involving its sale and relaunch, multiple units—including 'Medianet' (focused on media planning and public relations), 'Mediaverse' (specializing in media research), 'ConnectWeb' (providing biographical directories), 'Pagemasters' (digital publishing services), and 'Megaform' (horse racing information)—were divested into a separate entity named Mediality. This new company employed approximately 130 staff members, predominantly full-time, and operated out of Sydney’s News Corp Australia Building. Bruce Davidson, former CEO of AAP, assumed leadership as Mediality’s CEO.
Ownership
In March 2020, AAP declared it would discontinue operations by June of that year. Subsequently, in May, a group led by former News Corp executive Peter Tonagh arranged the acquisition, finalizing the purchase in June and reviving the service by August 2020. The newswire is now owned by an independent Australian not-for-profit organization without traditional owners or shareholders. Specific details regarding ownership following the sale have not been publicly disclosed.
Previous Ownership
Between 2012 and 2020, prior to its conversion into a non-profit entity, AAP was collectively held by twelve of the original thirteen newspaper shareholders dating back to its establishment in 1935; these shareholders have since become part of various media conglomerates. Before the 2020 sale and relaunch, ownership was mainly divided between Nine Entertainment and News Corp Australia, each holding a 45% stake, while Seven West Media and Australian Community Media maintained smaller shares. Both News Corp and Nine invested over $10 million annually into AAP, whereas Seven West Media together with Australian Community Media contributed more than $1 million combined.