AP To Cut U.S. Staff As It Shifts Focus To Video, National Coverage.

The Associated Press plans to cut dozens of U.S.-based staff positions as part of a broader restructuring that shifts its focus away from hyper-local print coverage and toward video and national reporting priorities, company executives said.

Executive Editor Julie Pace and Global Chief Revenue Officer Kristin Heitmann tell Axios the changes reflect evolving audience demand and revenue sources. Founded in 1846 as a cooperative serving local newspapers, the organization now derives less than 10% of its revenue from U.S. newspaper groups, according to Heitmann.

Revenue from that segment has declined 25% in recent years, while revenue from technology companies has increased by roughly 200%, she said.

The restructuring will begin with a voluntary separation plan offered Monday to a select group of unionized employees. The organization will consider layoffs if it does not receive sufficient interest in buyouts. While the cuts are expected to primarily affect the U.S. news division, a smaller number of positions in other U.S.-based reporting teams may also be included.

The organization declined to specify the number of employees affected but said the reductions would involve less than 5% of its global workforce. It also did not disclose its total number of employees, though outside estimates place it at more than 3,000.

Pace said the organization is making the changes from a position of financial stability. The not-for-profit outlet, which marks its 180th anniversary this year, remains profitable with stable revenues.

“It’s not because our audiences and revenue are shrinking, but really because our audiences and our revenue are coming from different places,” she said.

The outlet previously implemented staff reductions in 2024 affecting about 8% of its workforce.

In recent years, the organization’s business model has shifted away from reliance on local newspaper clients toward a broader mix that includes digital publishers, broadcasters and non-news companies. In 2024, USA Today and McClatchy stopped licensing its content, citing costs.

The organization now licenses content, including election data, to major technology companies such as Google, OpenAI, Kalshi, Microsoft and Amazon. It has also expanded its advertising efforts to generate revenue from consumer traffic.

Editorial operations have increasingly prioritized video and visual journalism as clients seek faster coverage of major events and deeper reporting on national issues such as immigration and law enforcement. Pace said the organization has more than doubled its number of U.S.-based video journalists since 2022.

Meanwhile, the News Media Guild’s Executive Committee, which says buyouts were offered to more than 120 AP staffers, promised to “support its members to ensure they are treated fairly and that the AP follows the letter of the contract.” In a statement, it added that the AP gave the union just minutes notice before notification of the staff cuts.

“The AP employs hundreds of talented journalists who are willing and able to adjust to the changing media landscape,” the Guild says. “However, the company refuses to offer them appropriate training and tools. Instead, AP continues to get rid of experienced staff and flirt with artificial intelligence — ignoring the opportunity to differentiate AP news stories as ones that are and always will be created by human journalists.”

The Guild says it is meeting with AP members to discuss next steps.

“Quality journalism begins and ends with the people who cover the news, and treating them fairly. Their voices will not be ignored,” the group says.