Australian Associated Press (AAP) is Australia's national news agency. The organisation was established in 1935 by Fairfax and The Herald and Weekly Times.
AAP employs more than 175 journalists who work in bureaux in all Australian states and territories. It also maintains correspondents in Port Moresby, London, Auckland, Jakarta and Los Angeles as well as using a network of contributors from the US, Europe, Asia and Africa. AAP's domestic news coverage is complemented by alliances with the major international news agencies.
AAP is owned by four Australian news organisations - News Ltd, Fairfax, West Australian Newspapers (publishers of The West Australian) and Rural Press Limited. Fairfax and News Ltd both own 45% each, West Australian Newspapers 8%, and Rural Press 2%. Together these companies produce the vast majority of Australian newspapers.
AAP's main focus is on breaking news. But it also distributes 'soft' news, colour stories, feature stories, opinion, filler material and photographs.
The editor-in-chief is Tony Gillies.
In the 1990s, AAP's telecommunications division was spun off as a telco, AAPT, now owned by Telecom New Zealand.
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