{
  "id": 5348636,
  "title": "Across US history, the AP has watched, chronicled and helped people understand a complex world",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/across-us-history-the-ap-has-watched-chronicled-and-helped-people",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-03T14:52:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/2026/09/03/across-us-history-the-ap-has-watched-chronicled-and-helped-people-understand-a-complex-world"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "180 years ago, a group of New York newspaper executives sought to reduce costs associated with news coverage. The Associated Press (AP) emerged from their collaboration, an organization that has since become a cornerstone of the news industry. The first annual payment for the service was $205.00, plus GST, with automatic renewals every 52 weeks at $233.00. Cancellation was permitted at any time.\n\nThe AP's origins trace back to five newspaper publishers in New York City who joined forces in 1846 to expedite the dissemination of news regarding the U.S. war with Mexico via a pony-express relay through Alabama to a telegraph office. From these humble beginnings, the AP grew to reach approximately 4 billion people daily, accounting for nearly half of the world's population.\n\nFor much of its history, the AP was a utility entity, supplying material for other news outlets to publish, broadcast, or share online, with its journalists often remaining anonymous. It wasn't until World War I that AP journalists began to receive bylines.\n\nThroughout its 250-year history, the AP has documented numerous significant events in American history. During the Civil War, AP reporter Joseph Ignatius Gilbert was tasked with recording President Abraham Lincoln's speech at the Gettysburg Cemetery. Unbeknownst to him, Gilbert momentarily forgot his duties and looked up to gaze at the president, who appeared distant and as if reaching out to a larger audience. Realizing his oversight, Gilbert recovered by borrowing a sheet of paper from Lincoln to copy the historic 272-word address. This ensured that Lincoln's words would be accessible to a broader audience, despite the lack of recording technology at the time.\n\nAP correspondent Edward Kennedy's significant scoop came when he reported Germany's surrender to Allied forces in France on May 7, 1945, marking the end of World War II in Europe. However, his reporting led to his dismissal. Kennedy had been summoned to a former school in Reims, France, under the pretense of secrecy until military censors granted permission to report the news. In reality, the embargo lasted for 36 hours, which was intended to allow Russian allies to stage a separate surrender ceremony. Kennedy's efforts to keep the news secret for just a few hours proved futile, as German officials announced the surrender on a radio broadcast from a city already under Allied control. Kennedy then alerted the AP's London bureau, which subsequently shared the news globally without being aware of the embargo. The military censors, already having broken their agreement, refused to lift the embargo, and Kennedy was called wrong for breaking the secret.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Associated Press founded in 1846 by five New York newspaper publishers",
    "AP reaches 4 billion people daily, covering half of world's population",
    "AP journalist Edward Kennedy's WW2 report led to his dismissal"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}