AUSTRALIA’S ASSOCIATED PRESS AGENCY TO CLOSE DOWN IN JUNE

BoomRadioNG | March 4, 2020

After a meritorious 85 years of serving as Australia’s newswire, the AAP-Australian Associated Press news agency and its staff of about 180 have been told in Sidney that the news agency is no longer viable in the face of increasing free online content.

Making this disclosure, on Tuesday AAP chief executive officer Bruce Davidson disclosed that jobs would be lost and that the Australia’s foremost news agency would cease to exist at the end of June.

While making the announcement Davidson said the decision was made with very heavy hearts adding that the closure of AAP also has economic and financial considerations.

In the same vein Prime Minister Scott Morrison in an emotional address to journalist at the press gallery at federal parliament said “they have a wonderful history in this place, and when you have such an important institution such as AAP coming to an end, that is a matter of real concern.

Sydney-based AAP was started in 1935 by newspaper publisher Keith Murdoch who is also father of News Corp. founder Rupert Murdoch.

The Australian Associated Press -AAP has other subsidiaries such as the Australia, Nine Entertainment Co., Seven West Media and Australian Community Media amongst others.