David Weiner and I had an interesting discussion yesterday on the importance of the AP (for the full discussion thread, click here). As most things do during a recession, the crux of the argument boiled down to cost; without the AP, most publications wouldn’t be able to globally staff all beats. Because we have an abundance of news sources, I’m not sure this is something modern news outlets should worry about. [Check out David's response: "The AP is Necessary and More Important Than Ever"]
Telegraph Key by photobunny on Flickr used under CC
Let’s take a quick trip back in time to the mid 1800′s. Before the AP came along, there was a scarcity of resources, and news was isolated by region. If a Chicago paper wanted to cover a story in Albany, they’d have to send a reporter. If they wanted to get the news from Europe, they’d have to send a reporter to New York City to meet the arriving ships. This meant two things: SLOW time to print and HIGH costs. With the invention of the telegraph, news could be distributed quickly–but costs to use the telegraph were still high. Trying to save money, editors formed associations to share resources and news stories.
SCARCITY is what the AP was founded to combat and their model reflects that. We don’t have that problem any more.
Up until 2001, I took pride in reading the Sunday New York Times from front to back. It was a ritual that took all day–and it was the only way to get a comprehensive look at the world. That all changed with the advent of Google News. Suddenly, not only could I see all the news stories at a glance, but I could also compare how various papers were covering the same story. Liberated from the page, I was no longer tied to any one news source. I canceled my subscription and haven’t gone back.
While this was going on, we started to see an increase in self-publishing tools. Suddenly anyone anywhere could write about anything they wanted. That means sites dedicated to someone’s hobby, trade, specialty, interest or neighborhood started popping up like wildflowers. BTW, these people work on a 24 hour cycle. So instead of a SCARCITY of news, we’ve got an OVER-ABUNDANCE of the stuff.
So how does a business model built on scarcity survive in a time of abundance? I don’t know. With the mixed messages coming from it, I doubt the AP does either. Instead of resiting change, the best way to survive is to acknowledge and embrace the diversification of the media and the decentralization of the news.
Unlike the AP, several news outlets are using this abundance to their advantage. The smart papers are enhancing their local coverage by adding more blogging and offering real-time updates through Twitter. Other outlets beef up their non-local coverage by partnering with top blogs.
I’m not advocating the fall of the AP. Instead, I’m celebrating the rise of citizen journalism and the decentralization of the news. It’s also a challenge to news companies to not just adapt, but also innovate. [Check out one of my favorite blogs, Old Media, New Tricks, to learn ways newspapers are using social media tools to better reach audience.]
Do you think the AP is in crisis? What changes can it make to be more relevant? Let us know in the comments!
[Also, check out this article I wrote last year on the AP's Content Wars.]
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Thanks for the plug, Christopher.
The AP has become the ultimate middleman. But there’s a balance: for the news your audience wants, do you link directly to other sources, or do you use AP copy to get the page views your site needs?
It’s a philosophical question, but I’d rather link out. Then again, I know I’ll have plenty of folks linking to me. But for your average news organization, that may not be the case.
Hi Daniel. Thanks for stopping by!
It’s totally a philosophical debate! I’m on the side of linking out.
On a side note: Page views and traffic are always a conundrum. I think that as we restructure our newspapers, we also need to rethink our advertising models. Since we are trying to create a more engaging media experience, can’t we do the same for our advertisers?
Ha. To do that, we have to show:
1. We still have a relevant, engaged digital audience.
2. We know exactly who our digital audience is.
There are ways, my friend!
I’m experimenting with different models and theories. I’ll keep you posted! 
[...] For my follow-up to this conversation, check out this post on socialTNT. [...]