Evening star., 1909-04-21
METHODS OF THE 'A.P.'
Workings of Worlds Great
News Gathering Agency.
HOW IT GETS INFORMATION
Vast Organization Serves Eight Hun
dred Newspapers.
NOT PROFIT-MAKING SCHEME
Foreign Affiliations Extend into
Every Corner Of alobe-Practical
Methods Of Operation.
HOW IT GETS INFORMATION
NOT PRoFIT-MAK1NG SCHEME

Methods Of Operation.
NEW YORK. April 21.-The annual
meeting OF the Associated Press was held
yesterday at its Offices. 195 Broadway.
| and the representatives Of nearly 800
newspapers from all parts Of the country
| had an opportunity OF discussing the
methods adopted by the greatest news
gathering and distributing agency in the
| world.
The annual meeting OF the American
Newspaper Association Is being held to-
day. Tomorrow evening the members Of
both associations will dine together at the
Waldorf.
The Associated Press, or A. p. as 1t IL
generally called in newspaper offices,
| supplies news to most Of the daily news
| papers in the United States and Canada,
| and came into existence through the great
| difficulty and expense Of collecting the
| worldwide news demanded BY the mod
| ern reader.
It has been a gradual growth from be-
fore the civil war, when the principle OF
cooperation between newspapers In get
| ting the news common to all was nrst
| recognized. The Associated Press in its
present form was duly incorporated un-
der the laws Of the state Of New York
May q, 1900.
Makes No Profits.
It is not q money-making institution
and 1t is not owned by any set Of stock
holders. When Representative Sibley
wrote to Mr.. Archbold to suggest that
Standard OIL should buy UP the Associat-
ed Press he showed absolute ignorance
Of It's character and organization.
It is best described as a clearing house
for news. Certain newspapers are mem
bers OF 1t. They guarantee to put at Its
disposal all the local news in their terri
tory They receive IN exchange the news
from all over the world that the organixa-
tion has collected by Its own agents, the
foreign news agencies with which It IS
amliated or the other members Of the
A. p. can supply.
It makes no money, It declares no div
hends, 1t has no surplus. and It sells no
news. Its expenses. which run to nearly
-, 10000 a year. are betrayed by
ing according to the service they take.
These regular expenses include, besides
salaries. the maintenance Of Offices. tele-
graph and cable tolls over public lines.
night Al 600 miles OF private wires. They
form q network Of trunk lines from st.
John, N. B.. and New York. In the east.
to Seattle. San Francisco and San Diego
IN the west, ana III IHO uOTlH
to New Orleans, Galveston and the City
OF Mexico In the south.
Newspapers Subscribe Local News.
In this country the local news II col
lected by making the newspapers which
arc members Of the Associated Press re-
sponsible sfor the news in q prescribed
territory in their places OF publication. In
addition. in all the large cities. the AS
o<oH DyAoa 20 70
a competent staff OF reporters and edit
ors, who have access to the offices of the
members OF the organization.
The general headquarters are in New
York. There are also divisional head
quarters in. Washington, D. c.: Chicago
and San Francisco.
In foreign countries the Associated
Press relies to some extent on the similar
agencies existing there. Thus, in England
news OF the United Kingdom. the British
empire. with the exception OF Canada,
and Of China and Japan. In France the
Havas Agence supplies Information from
the Latin countries OF Europe, the coun-
and the French possessions abroad. The
Wolff bureau covers Germany, Austria.
Russia. Turkey in Europe. Scandinavia,
Denmark and the German colonies.
er agencies. such as the Stefani in Italy
and the Fabri In Spain, which deal with
moro limited fields. to which the Asso-
ciated Press also has access.
But the great successes of the A, p.
In foreign news has been gained by its
own corps Of correspondents, who are
posted in every capital in Europe. They
are men specially selected for their posi-
tions and are invariably trained Ameri-
can newspaper men.
Not AL American Born.
A few Of them are not Americans by
birth. Thus Mr.. Psanof. who represents
the Associated Press In st. Petersburg, Is
Bulgarian. but he had received an
American college education and was care
fully trained In American newspaper
methods before he was sent abroad. His
he deals largely with the political af-
fairs Of southeastern Europe. and he can
speak the Slav tongues as readily as a
native.
ISOLATED Press are left to work out their
own plans for the covering Of q country
For instance. the man in Constantinople
Is responsible for the news OF all Turkey,
and 10 the only representative recognized
by the headquarters Of the Associated
Press in this city. It is his business to
establish such relations In all important
parts OF his territory that he can rely on
being supplied Immediately with the
news.
In the present crisis he Is reinforced
from the other Offices Of the Associated
Press In Europe. As soon as the revolu-
ton broke out the Associated Press man
in Berlin was notified to 60 at once to
Constantinople He communicated with
the regular correspondent, and formed
what plans seemed to them best for
covering the situation without reference
to New York.
Meanwhile. II 1t seems necessary. men
will be sent from Paris and St. Peters
burg to give further assistane. Orders
have been also sent to the A. p. men In
such important capitals as London and
Vienna to send Immediately ali Turkish
news which appears In the newspapers.
Expense Is Justified.
This may cause duplication. but the ex-
ira expense is justified by the security 1t
gives against the Associated Press being
beaten through the publication Of impor-
tant news exclusively in some European
Newspaper. and. moreover. gives the head
quarters Of the Associated Press the
them
Since the A. p. serves 800 newspapers, It
strives to give absolutely impartial state
ments Of the worlds happenings. It aims
at giving facts OF the case In q thor
oughly uncolored manner.
It has peculiar facilities for doing this.
Its foreign editor receives dispatches
several different countries.
The Associated Press also is sent Official
communiques by high personages It does
not always accept these on their face
value. but at any rate they enable 1t to
Judge of the way government would like
to make 1t appear an incident happened.
The members Of the Associated Press
avnnct that fhe dianatches aAnt ~ +h.,.