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The Associated Press is in the information business. Its fundamental mission is to provide state, national and international news, photos, graphics, broadcast and online services of the highest quality, reliability and objectivity to its domestic owners as economically as it can. The AP is a member-driven company.
News bearing the AP logotype is expected to be accurate, balanced and informed. AP feels that unrestricted access to the sources of news is essential if those standards are to be met by the AP and other news organizations.
The AP seeks no special privilege beyond free access. It believes that the more journalistic voices the world hears, the better informed it will be.
The major obstacles the AP encounters in collecting a factual global news report are restricted access, explicit or implicit censorship and pressure against correspondents, extending as far as expulsion and kidnapping.
The most serious and widespread of these constraints is the inability to gain entry for professionally qualified AP representatives.
In cases where the AP lacks regular access, information must be obtained from radio broadcasts and visitors.
Explicit and implicit censorship is another news barrier. Explicit censorship results in deletions or refusal to transmit correspondents' copy." |
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