(New York-AP) January 31, 2006 - The Associated Press is actually two years older than previously reported.
A recently acquired collection of old documents shows the world's biggest newsgathering organization started in 1846. The AP and journalism historians had traditionally set the date in 1848.
The papers come from a great-great-grandson of the second owner-publisher of the original New York Sun. Moses Yale Beach was a driving force in creating the newspaper alliance that became known as The Associated Press.
The papers show Beach offered in May 1846 to share news from the US war with Mexico with rival newspapers. The deal formed the basis for cooperative news gathering by telegraph.
AP President and CEO Tom Curley calls the documents "a significant discovery."
The AP has 4,000 employees and delivers news 24 hours a day to more than 130 countries.
