Standards for working with outside groups
The Associated Press recognizes that working with the right organizations can help our newsroom fulfill our goals as journalists. This may be a foundation that offers funding to support expanded coverage, or another media outlet with expertise that complements ours.
Standards review
Any newsroom partner, whether a foundation or another news organization, must align with AP News Values and Principles.
In general, AP seeks as collaborators:
– Media outlets that practice fact-based, objective journalism.
– Broad-based organizations such as universities and foundations created for the public good that fund a diversity of projects in many fields.
– Organizations committed to spreading general knowledge in a broad field, such as medicine or science.
– Organizations that believe in government and institutional accountability, freedom of information and opposition to censorship.
All collaborations are reviewed by AP’s vice president/editor at large for standards and vetted by a cross-departmental advisory group.
A core partnership principle is that AP’s journalism will be independent.
– We will not accept any grant that requires pre-publication review of stories or attempts to influence coverage.
– We will favor grants with a clear purpose of advancing defined news goals or areas of coverage.
– We will abstain from conversations with a potential funder about specific conclusions or outcomes that will be derived from the proposed reporting.
– We will aim for the highest practicable degree of transparency regarding editorial, donor and business standards and operations, including acceptance of outside funds.