American Press Institute

The American Press Institute is an educational non-advocacy 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization affiliated with the News Media Alliance (formerly the Newspaper Association of America). ^[1]

History

The institute, founded in 1946, initially was at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism before moving in 1974 to Reston, Virginia. It has been described by The Washington Post as the nation's "most venerable press-management and training organization." ^[2] The institute's discussion leaders have included former Washington Post Executive Editor Ben Bradlee, former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, and Pulitzer Prize-winner and former Poynter Institute chairman Eugene Patterson. ^[3]

However, API's fortunes declined in parallel with those of American newspapers, which were once one of the most profitable businesses in the nation. ^[2] The institute in early 2012 merged with the NAA Foundation of the Newspaper Association of America and shuttered its landmark headquarters. ^{[1] [2]} Starting in 2013, API's leadership led its transformation from a training institution to an "applied think tank," producing research, programs, events and tools that facilitate learning in the news industry mostly outside a traditional training model.

As of 2018, some of API's projects include:

• The Media Insight Project, a joint research initiative with the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago. ^[4]
• Metrics for News, an analytics program and tool to help publishers understand how their audiences interact with their journalism. ^[5]
• Thought Leader Summits, "one-day summits on focused topics of importance in the current journalism landscape." ^[6]
• Programs on growing reader revenue, improving accountability journalism and succeeding at organizational change. ^[7]

The center's director and CEO is Michael D. Bolden, a former managing editor at The San Francisco Chronicle and former managing director of the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford. Previously the institute was led by executive director Tom Rosentiel.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 2023, the API launched a pilot program for the American Press Institute Inclusion Index across five newsrooms in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ^[8] The program seeks to improve the relationships between newsrooms and the diverse communities they cover. ^[8]

References

1. "About us - American Press Institute" . Retrieved February 27, 2019.
2. Farhi, Paul (March 22, 2012). "American Press Institute to merge with NAA Foundation". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286. OCLC   800643250.
3. Goldstein, Allison (December 2012 – January 2013). "Reinventing the American Press Institute". American Journalism Review . Retrieved February 27, 2019.
4. "How Millennials Get News: Inside the Habits of America's First Digital Generation" (PDF). American Press Institute. Associated Press . Retrieved February 27, 2019.
5. "API's program to create data-driven content strategies". American Press Institute. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
6. "Thought Leader Summits". American Press Institute. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
7. "About us - American Press Institute". American Press Institute. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
8. Choiniere, Alisa (2023). "American Press Institute Inclusion Index". Editor & Publisher. Vol. 156, no. 2. pp. 7–8. Retrieved January 1, 2025– via EBSCOhost.