Its Australian news coverage is nationwide, with bureaus in every state and territory, that is complemented by alliances with major international news agencies including The Associated Press.The AP licenses its news text and photo services to AAP for redistribution in the Australian media market and its customers. Or coverage will simply cease to occur,” he said.There was no indication of any hope of reversing the decision to close the agency. The agency is renowned for its fair and impartial reporting and its extraordinary reach across rural and urban Australia.
AAP’s more than 170 journalists will cease operations by June 26. It's been made on an economic and financial basis. (Steven Saphore/AAP Image via AP)Staff at the Australian Associated Press head office gather for an announcement in Sydney, Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
Bruce Davidson said the decision had been made "with very heavy hearts" (Steven Saphore/AAP Image via AP)Connect with the definitive source for global and local news These are external links and will open in a new window The AAP family will be sorely missed,” AAP Editor-in-Chief Tony Gillies said in a tweet.Sydney-based AAP was started in 1935 by newspaper publisher Keith Murdoch, father of News Corp. founder Rupert Murdoch. It is owned by Australian news organizations News Corp. Australia, Nine Entertainment Co., Seven West Media and Australian Community Media. A lot of people are outraged. National news agency Australian Associated Press said it was closing after 85 years, blaming a decline in subscribers and free distribution of news content on digital platforms. Image copyright EPA Image caption Journalists and other staff from Australian outlets protested in support of AAP The Australian Associated Press news agency is closing after 85 years. Staff at the Australian Associated Press head office gather for an announcement in Sydney, Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Its Pagemasters editorial production service will close at the end of August, the company said.The first inkling that most AAP staff had that their jobs were in danger came on Monday with a Nine newspapers’ report that noted the weakest advertising market since the global financial crisis in 2008.AAP management told staff about the closure on Tuesday afternoon.“We are obviously devastated by the news,” AAP Canberra Bureau Chief Paul Osborne said. The wires agency Australian Associated Press announced on Tuesday it will close in June, with 180 jobs being lost. "AAP was founded by media baron Keith Murdoch in 1935, and went on to become a central news source for major outlets in Australia and abroad.But after major staff cuts and the closure of the agency's New Zealand arm in 2018, speculation over the company's future was rife.In a further statement on Tuesday, the company said it had been forced to close because of the "unprecedented impact" of digital platforms, including Facebook and Google, taking content and distributing it for free.A "trade-off" may be needed in England amid a rise in cases, a scientist advising the government says.
Staff at the Australian Associated Press head office gather for an announcement in Sydney, Tuesday, March 3, 2020. The AP is also contracted to use AAP text and photos.Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Australia’s journalists’ union, described the decision to close AAP as a “gross abandonment of responsibility by its shareholders -- Australia’s major media outlets.”“Bean-counters at the top of media organizations might think they can soldier on without AAP, but the reality is it will leave a huge hole in news coverage,” the union’s federal president, Marcus Strom, said in a statement. The company made a modest 929,000 Australian dollar ($608,000) profit last year on AU$65,674,000 ($43 million) revenue.
But AAP Melbourne reporter Benita Kolovos described as “heartwarming” the sight of #saveAAP trending on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.“I work with the best women and men and hope I will continue to be able to,” Kolovos tweeted.