01/18/08

AP Press Release

The Associated Press launches a Q&A initiative, called 'Ask AP'

NEW YORK -- The Associated Press today launched a new Q&A initiative, called "Ask AP," where journalists from the world's largest newsgathering organization will answer written questions from the public about the news. Topics covered in the first column range from college football eligibility to the mechanics of the U.S. presidential primary season.

Readers are invited to send questions to the e-mail address newsquestions(at)ap.org, with "Ask AP" in the subject line. The answers will appear in periodic installments of the new Q&A column, both online and in newspapers. Each column will end with a call for additional questions AP journalists should pursue.

For the first column, the AP received questions from around the United States on a wide variety of topics. Eric Carvin, a supervisor in the news department who is overseeing the initiative along with Deputy Managing Editor Tom Kent, assigned reporters and editors to answer questions that fell within their areas of expertise. The column was made available today, for use by AP members both online and in print.

"No matter how thorough a news story might be, there will always be readers who want to know more," said Carvin. "With 'Ask AP,' they'll be able to ask those follow-up questions -- and get answers from AP journalists who cover the very topics that inspired their curiosity."

About The AP
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP.

See "Ask AP" in the "What's New" section of our corporate Internet site.

Contact: Jack Stokes, AP Corporate Communications, 212.621.1720