Giovanna Dell’Orto was engaged in the challenging task of interviewing witnesses of a recent shooting. In the midst of her intense work, a voice interrupted with a hint of recognition. “Say, don’t I know you?” a woman inquired. “I saw you with the Pope.”
Although Dell’Orto usually works out of Minnesota and has never actually stood beside any Pope, she had been involved in a digital program for the Associated Press some months prior. She served as the on-screen anchor for a live broadcast from Italy, overlooking St. Peter’s Square, documenting the papal conclave that selected Pope Leo to succeed Pope Francis after his death.
Dell’Orto, fluent in Italian and part of the AP’s religious reporting team, admitted, “I was told to host, which surprised me,” during a recent interview. “I had never done this before.”
A viewer in Minnesota recognizing Dell’Orto from the broadcast about the papal election gives AP executives hope that they have the potential to nurture a new generation of news anchors. More AP journalists might find themselves taking on the role of video hosts as the company expands its live news offerings to a global audience. In February, AP hosted a live show from the U.S. Capitol during President Trump’s State of the Union address, featuring reporters Meg Kinnard and Sagar Meghani alongside invited guests, marking the first time it had done so. The company has also been present on the red carpet at events like the Grammys.
According to Julie Pace, the AP’s executive editor and senior vice president, there’s no ambition to surpass CNN or CBS News. “We are not looking to do a big broadcast network style production. That’s territory other people have cornered, and we are not trying to compete,” she explained in a recent interview. “Instead, we are trying to fill a void for people who want to have what is almost an immersive live video experience, with a little bit of explanation of what’s going on.”
While many wire services have offered video for years, including Bloomberg with its own cable network and Reuters with its video offerings, pairing the Associated Press with video seems unusual as the AP is still primarily recognized for providing news to newspaper clients globally, despite the significant decline in this part of its business.
By 2026, the majority of AP’s clients are broadcasters, digital outlets, and non-media companies like tech firms. U.S. newspapers account for less than 10% of total revenue, as indicated by a source familiar with the matter, while non-media clients are on the rise. Although a significant portion of AP’s revenue is derived from these business clients, the company is leveraging its video content to attract a direct-to-consumer audience via YouTube, generating new revenue streams.
The AP’s push into video highlights the ongoing convergence in the media industry, where easier video access is turning former allies into competitors. Traditional print outlets like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal now hold influence in video and audio, while TV-news giants like NBC News and MS NOW provide newsletters and text reports from key figures. Technological advancements offer AP and others new opportunities to vie for the attention of advertisers and viewers who might have previously overlooked them.
“Wire services have always been ignored stepchildren in the news media family, but AP especially has enormous worldwide newsgathering tentacles and a deep international bench that already supplies huge amounts of news content. So finding ways to amortize those costs while generating additional benefits seems like a shrewd approach to pursuing revenue growth,” notes Mark Feldstein, chairman of the broadcast journalism program at the University of Maryland. “Yes, newspapers and cable television already supply this, but not for free, so it seems worth a try for AP, even though it’s not traditionally associated with this.”
The news cooperative’s editors see an opportunity to showcase AP reporting to millions who might not typically encounter it. An initiative covering the 2024 presidential election drew over 13 million viewers, according to Jack Auresto, a deputy Washington Bureau chief overseeing video production. “We have an audience here, and we want to continue to provide information to them,” he states. He suggests that any staff member’s lack of experience with video might just be an advantage. “We have real reporters, not television anchors, not commentators. These are real political reporters who are telling us in real time what they are seeing and what they are hearing. We will want to keep the focus on fact-based journalism and keep focus on the live content.”
Pace emphasizes that reporters should not dominate the programming. The AP’s video strategy involves “light commentary” — minimal words but hopefully rich in meaning.
“We don’t want a constant stream of dialogue, nothing that is partisan or even overtly political, not anything that is sort of minute-by-minute play by play,” she explains. “We are really a news organization that exists to explain and to add context, to help people navigate what they are seeing.”
The involvement of hard-news journalists in what has often been considered a softer medium could create dynamic interactions. Live streams from entertainment events like the Grammys or Golden Globes are not typically venues for controversy, but as Anthony McCartney, AP’s entertainment and lifestyles editor, explains, celebrities may sometimes be asked to comment on current headlines. “If there are breaking news events that happen on the day of the show we are working, we will ask about it,” he says. “The immigration crackdown was a big topic when we were at the Grammys. A lot of talent knows if they stop at AP we are going to ask them about the news of the day.” He adds, “to me feels right for an AP-brand show.”
Transitioning to video presents challenges for staff more accustomed to writing. When Dell’Orto prepared to host the AP’s live stream of the papal conclave, she wore a formal black dress. “This is me trying to look decent in front of a global audience,” she remembers, but video staff pointed out that there was no place to attach a microphone or other equipment. Dell’Orto ended up wearing the dress over pants.
“I’m more comfortable with my notebooks and pen and laptop,” Dell’Orto admits. “But I’m really well aware that the definition of the job is not the medium that’s in my hands. It’s the mission of bringing facts to people.”
