Agence France-Presse

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Image:AFP Paris dsc04592.jpg

Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a semi-official news agency chartered by the French government. It is the oldest and third largest news agency in the world, behind the Associated Press and Reuters.^{[citation needed]} It is also the largest French news agency.

AFP is based in Paris, with regional centres in Washington, Hong Kong, Nicosia, and Montevideo and bureaus in 110 countries. It transmits news in French, English, Arabic, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Russian.

The agency was founded in 1835 by Charles-Louis Havas as Agence Havas.

1 Status
2 Controversy
3 Investments
4 External link

[edit] Status

AFP is a government-chartered public corporation operating under a 1957 law, but is officially a commercial business independent of the French government. AFP is administered by a CEO and a board comprising 15 members:

Eight representatives of the French press;
Two representatives of the AFP personnel;
Two representatives of the government-owned radio and television;
Three representatives of the government. One is named by the prime minister, another by the minister of finance, and a third by the minister of foreign affairs.

The board elects the CEO for a renewable term of three years. The AFP also has a council charged with ensuring that the agency operates according to its statutes, which mandate absolute independence and neutrality.

The primary client of AFP is the French government, which purchases subscriptions for its various services. In practice, those subscriptions are an indirect subsidy to AFP. The statutes of the agency prohibit direct government subsidies.

[edit] Controversy

The AFP's organization and methods of operation are very different from those of a traditionally independent news bureau. Supporters believe that a cooperative of government, semi-government, and private media companies produces a politically neutral product.

Critics note that five of the 15 board members are appointed by the government and by government-owned companies, and that two more are internally generated. As a result, critics believe that AFP coverage closely follows government policies. Other critics note that AFP's English-language stories contain no disclaimer of government control or influence.