The Associated Press To Offer Buyouts To Its US-Based Journalists As It Shifts Away From Print Amid Industry Changes – AfroTech
The Associated Press is scaling back its focus on newspapers and print journalism — a move that could signal broader shifts across the media industry.
On Monday, April 6, 2026, the organization offered buyouts to an unspecified number of U.S.-based journalists, the outlet reports. The News Media Guild, the union representing AP journalists, said more than 120 of its members received offers.
The shift comes as the news organization leans further into visual journalism and explores new revenue streams, including partnerships tied to AI. Newspaper clients, once a primary source of revenue, now account for just 10% of AP’s income, declining 25% over the past four years, per the outlet.
“The AP employs hundreds of talented journalists who are willing and able to adjust to the changing media landscape,” the union said in a statement, according to AP. “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.”
While it’s unclear how many journalists could ultimately lose their jobs, Julie Pace, AP’s executive editor and senior vice president, said the company aims to reduce its global workforce by less than 5%, the outlet notes. Whether layoffs occur will depend on how many employees accept buyout offers, she said. And the final number may be greater than 5% since the buyouts only affect U.S.-based journalists.
Revenue Shifts Beyond Newspapers At The Associated Press
Despite the shift, remnants of a staffing model built to serve newspapers and local broadcasters across individual states remain. At the same time, the AP has doubled its number of U.S.-based video journalists since 2022, per the outlet.
The organization also plans to maintain a presence in all 50 states, using rapid-response teams that allow journalists, regardless of location, to contribute to major national stories.
Still, audience demand continues to shift, the outlet says. While print was once a dominant distribution channel, the AP’s customer base is now largely made up of broadcast, digital, and technology companies.
Kristin Heitmann, the company’s senior vice president and chief revenue officer, says the AP has seen a 200% increase in income from technology companies over the past four years.
“If you can think of a large technology company, they are a customer of ours,” she said.
AP services for counting and analyzing election data remains another key growth area. The organization reported a 30% increase in customers for its election-related services between the 2020 and 2024 cycles.
The AP, a long-standing wholesale news provider, is additionally seeing growing interest in its apnews.com platform, which generates revenue through advertising and donations. It is also experimenting with new forms of fact-checking and journalist-led audience engagement tactics.
AP Remains Committed To Core Journalism Values
Even as the organization evolves, company leaders say the AP remains committed to its core mission of delivering fast, accurate, and unbiased journalism. Pace adds that the changes reflect adaptation to a shifting media landscape — not a sign of weakness.
“The AP is not in trouble,” Pace said. “We’re making these changes from a position of strength, but we’re doing so now to recognize our changing customer base.”
