NEW YORK — Media company Gannett, the nation’s largest newspaper chain and publisher of USA Today, said Tuesday it would stop using journalism from The Associated Press later this month, breaking a century-old partnership.
The decision “allows us to further invest in our newsrooms,” Gannett spokeswoman Lark-Marie Anton said. With more than 200 outlets, the chain represents more newspapers than any other AP member company in the US.
A memo from Kristin Roberts, Gannett’s chief content officer, ordered the chain’s editors to stop using stories, videos and images from AP on March 25. The memo, obtained by The Associated Press, was first reported by The New York Times.
“We are shocked and disappointed to see this memo,” said Lauren Easton, spokeswoman for The Associated Press. “Our conversations with Gannett have been productive and ongoing. We remain hopeful that Gannett will continue to support the AP beyond the end of their membership term at the end of 2024, as they have done for more than a century.”
Neither company would discuss how much Gannett paid to receive AP content.
In an earlier era, when fees from American newspapers provided AP with virtually all of its revenue, such a decision would have been a financial earthquake for the news cooperative. But AP has diversified its services as the number of newspapers declines, and U.S. newspaper fees now account for just over 10 percent of annual income.
Gannett said it has signed an agreement with Reuters to offer news from around the world in multiple formats, including video.
“The key to this initiative is ensuring that we expand the reach of the work we do to more readers, viewers and listeners across the country,” Roberts said in her memo.
AP’s diversification efforts include offering journalism directly to consumers through an ad-supported website. The company also provides production services and software to newsrooms around the world. This week, AP launched an e-commerce site called AP Buyline, run by the company Taboola, which provides product content and reviews for consumers.
Gannett said it would continue to pay for two of AP’s most visible services: its extensive election-related polling and vote counting, and the AP Stylebook, which sets guidelines for journalistic practices and word usage.
With a contract for AP’s content running through the end of 2024, it was not clear why Gannett is choosing to shut down business next week. While the possibility remains that it is a negotiating tactic for AP to reduce fees, Anton said she was not aware of any contract negotiations.
Like most newspaper companies, Gannett has been struggling financially for several years. According to the NewsGuild, the workforce shrank by 47% between 2020 and 2023 due to layoffs and attrition.
