AP statement on covering National Enquirer

The Associated Press was approached by American Media Inc. executives and lawyers in the summer of 2017 as AP reporters dug into actions taken by the National Enquirer. They raised concerns about AP’s reporting.   Separately but near the same time, AP editors heard that people were looking into the backgrounds of the reporters working on the story, but AP never saw any evidence that had occurred.   Actions by AMI did not affect or stop AP’s reporting. We often face intense pressure from outsiders attempting to influence our journalism and we do not back down.   AP published a story in the spring of 2018 based on the reporting, once the story met our standards. We are proud of the work AP reporters did on this subject.