National news · Tier one
How to get featured in Associated Press
How to get covered by the Associated Press: how AP's bureaus and beats work, how to pitch reporters and planning editors, and why AP coverage travels so widely.
- Website
- apnews.com
- Lead time
- Breaking news: minutes to hours. Events: list them with the state daybook ahead of time. Features and investigations: weeks to months.
- Last verified
At a glance
Audience. Newsrooms around the world that publish AP content, and through them a very large general audience, plus readers of APNews.com.
- Breaking national and world news
- Politics and elections
- Business and economy
- Technology
- Health and science
- Climate
- Staff reporting
- AP journalists in bureaus across the US and the world cover beats and breaking news, and member and customer newsrooms republish AP stories, photos, and video.
- Contributed articles
- AP does not publish contributed articles or sponsored content as news.
- Opinion and op-eds
- AP is a news agency and does not publish op-eds or guest opinion pieces.
- Press releases
- Releases are background for reporters and planning editors. State daybook listings help editors plan coverage of events but do not guarantee a story.
Pitching Associated Press, step by step
Find the AP reporter on your beat or in the state bureau where your news happens, using recent AP bylines.
Lead with hard news: facts, numbers, and why the development matters beyond your company.
Make sources available quickly and on the record; AP moves fast and verifies carefully.
For a newsworthy event, submit it to the AP daybook for your state ahead of time so planning editors know about it.
Use AP's confidential tip channels only for sensitive, evidence-backed public interest tips.
How the Associated Press decides what to cover
The Associated Press was founded in 1846 as an independent news cooperative whose members are US newspapers and broadcasters. Its journalists work from bureaus across the US and internationally, covering breaking news, politics, business, technology, health, science, and climate. Newsrooms that subscribe to AP republish its stories, photos, and video, so a single AP story can appear on hundreds of sites and broadcasts.
AP writes straight news. It reports facts, attributes claims, and follows detailed standards set out in its news values and principles. Company news earns AP coverage when it is genuinely newsworthy for a broad audience: a significant market move, a public safety issue, a major regional employer’s decision, or a development tied to a larger national story.
How to pitch the Associated Press
Find the reporter who covers your beat nationally, or the bureau in the state where your news happens. Pitch the facts plainly: what happened, the key numbers, and why it matters beyond your company. AP reporters will verify claims and seek outside comment, so make executives and supporting sources available on the record and quickly.
For events such as news conferences or public announcements, AP state daybooks list upcoming events for planning purposes. A listing helps editors plan, but it does not guarantee coverage.
AP’s news tips page offers SecureDrop, Signal, and postal mail for confidential tips. Those channels are meant for sensitive public interest information, not routine announcements.
Contributed articles and op-eds
AP does not publish op-eds, guest columns, or contributed articles. As a news agency, its output is reported journalism. For executives, the realistic AP goal is to be a credible, quotable source in news coverage of their industry, or to be part of a news story when the company does something genuinely significant.
Frequently asked questions
Can you pay to be featured by the Associated Press?
No. AP news coverage is not for sale. AP sells content licensing and some commercial services, but those are separate from its news report.
Does the Associated Press accept guest posts?
No. AP does not publish guest posts, op-eds, or contributed articles.
Who should I pitch at the Associated Press?
The AP reporter on your beat, or the bureau covering the state where the news happens. Use recent AP bylines to find them.
A PR-led approach to AP strips a story down to verifiable facts and real news value, then prepares sources for fast, on-record verification. That is how we approach media relations for wire services.
Mistakes that get pitches ignored
- Pitching promotional language; AP writes straight news and strips out adjectives and claims it cannot verify.
- Offering only anonymous sources; AP reporters will push for named, verifiable sourcing.
- Expecting a daybook listing to produce coverage on its own.
- Pitching a feature with no news value or broader relevance.
Keep going
Related outlets
Sources for this profile (3)
- AP: News tips
- AP: About
- Columbia University Libraries: Reporting on New York City events and AP Daybook
Profiles describe public editorial processes and are reviewed periodically. Digitize is not affiliated with Associated Press. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].