AP opens new bureau in Beijing

AP opens new bureau in Beijing

BEIJING -- The Associated Press today opened a new bureau in Beijing to integrate newsgathering and reporting across all media platforms and expand its coverage of China.

“This new, integrated bureau is the latest symbol of the AP’s long commitment to covering China, which goes back more than a century,” said AP President and CEO Tom Curley. “The AP has always been a key player in telling China’s story to the world, and in bringing the world’s stories to China.”

The new bureau, located in a modern office building in the Chinese capital’s Central Business District (CBD), will allow the AP to expand its staff and coverage of China and create a solid base for the news cooperative’s comprehensive Olympic coverage as the 2008 Beijing Games approach.

The bureau unites news, photos, television and multimedia in an integrated newsroom and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that allows journalists to provide news in all formats, from newspaper text to multimedia productions.

“The new bureau encourages interaction, information-sharing and creativity among all of the AP’s journalists, and will allow the AP to maintain its standards and fulfill its mission as China’s impact on the world grows,” said AP Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll. “We’re committed to coverage of the China story in all its aspects, including its booming economy, political and cultural development, and with the 2008 Olympics on the horizon, the world of sports,” Carroll said.

The new bureau includes positions for more than 40 journalists and support staff, as well as a television studio, control room, positions for live stand-ups, a guest editing suite and sophisticated Data and Main Control Rooms.

“Demand for top-quality coverage and service will only become greater as the 2008 Olympics approach. With this new facility, the AP will be able to fulfill all those expectations,” said AP Vice President and Managing Director for International Television Eric Braun.

Led by Bureau Chief Charles Hutzler, the Beijing team includes some of the AP’s best and most experienced journalists, including Television Manager Norman Bottorff, Chief Photographer Greg Baker, and Business Writer Joe McDonald. Among them, the four total more than 50 years of experience reporting in China.