Common Sense Journalism: New jobs and directions at AP

Common Sense Journalism

An extension of the Common Sense Journalism monthly column by Doug Fisher, former broadcaster, newspaper reporter and wire service editor. From new media to old, much of journalism is just plain common sense.

"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Unknown (often improperly attributed to Thomas Jefferson)

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair

"Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire "Common sense is instinct; enough of it is genius" - George Bernard Shaw

Sunday, February 25, 2007

New jobs and directions at AP

If you want a sense of what the world's oldest and largest news service is up to as it tries to reshape its business, pay attention to the job postings.

Some recent ones:

Web developer is Washington, with an emphasis on databases to Web. AP definitely is looking into moving into databases it can slice, dice and sell to news and other clients (just like Gannett and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are setting up database desks by various names).
Editor to head a three-person team in New York focusing on culling stories from SEC filings. Another case where I suspect some database knowledge will help, along with the ability to move quickly through various arcane parts of the Web. (But can AP compete with the plethora of other financial services out there doing similar things?)
A slew of cataloguer and business development positions for "AP archive," its stock footage business. Just as World Wide Photos, AP's stock and archive photo buisness has long been a cash cow, AP says that expanding its video stock business is a major strategic initiative -- more proof that 2007 is the year of movin' pictures.

Oh yeah, there are a few writer and editor jobs mixed in with all this, too.

Labels: AP, jobs