AP news agency reduces staff by eight percent
The Associated Press (AP) news agency has announced a workforce reduction of eight percent. AP CEO Daisy Veerasingham explained in a letter to the staff on Monday that this step was necessary in light of the economic crisis in the media industry in order to respond to the «transformation in the media sector.».
Jobs would be cut and there would be offers of severance pay. Management did not provide specific details on the number of jobs or journalists affected. "In total, these changes will affect eight percent of our workforce, less than half of which will impact the news division," Veerasingham wrote.
Founded in 1846 AP counts with Reuters and Agence France-Presse AFP one of the three major international news agencies. Last year, it published AP more than 375,000 reports, 1.24 million photos and 80,000 videos. The number of employees in 2018 was stated as 3,200.
AP plays a central role in reporting in the USA, especially in elections, where the agency publishes its own forecasts after the polls close and reliably calls the winners before the official bodies.
This year, the media groups Gannett and McClatchy had AP which resulted in economic losses for the agency. Veerasingham announced that the "majority of the changes will take place in the USA". However, AP will continue to maintain its presence in the 50 US states. (SDA/swi)
