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The New Bedford Light will join the Associated Press Fund for Journalism’s local news program next month, allowing us to publish stories, photos, and video from The Associated Press for the first time.

The Light will be among 100 nonprofit news outlets in the program, which launched with 50 outlets a year ago and is adding 50 more. 

“This expansion is an important step as we continue to scale our program in support of local news across the country,” said Rachel White, CEO of APFJ. “In less than a year, we’re already helping local outlets move faster, reach more people, and better serve their communities by providing the content, tools, services, and training they need to grow and sustain their news organizations.”

Starting in April, The Light will be free to publish Associated Press journalism from Massachusetts and beyond. The Associated Press, founded in 1846 and based in New York, is “one of the oldest, largest, and most respected news agencies in the world,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

APFJ is the nonprofit started by The Associated Press in 2024 to support local journalism. It provides AP text, photos, video and election results to its partner newsrooms for free. It also offers guides for member newsrooms seeking to localize national stories. 

The partnership will also expand the audience for The Light’s journalism. Participating newsrooms can share some of their own content through AP’s distribution network.

“We’re honored to be chosen by The Associated Press to participate in this important local news initiative,” said Karen Bordeleau, executive editor of The Light. “This is an excellent opportunity for The Light to not only offer our audiences more content but also to share our explanatory and investigative journalism on critical topics — offshore wind, the environment, immigration, education, health and government — well beyond the South Coast of Massachusetts.”

APFJ’s partnership with The Light will last at least one year, but may be renewed. 

The 50 new APFJ newsrooms are located across the nation. They include several newsrooms in the Southwest and Alaska, Spanish-language outlets, and college newspapers. 

9 replies on “The Light joins the Associated Press Fund for Journalism local news program”

  1. No one should be surpised, the Associated Press has been a Far Left Liberal leaning rag for decades. Why not join forces with CNN Fake News too?

    1. Exactly Mr. Rogers! The Light may have set out to be an objective, unbiased source of information but has become too liberal pandering to most of the local constituents. It’s too bad sources of information for people have to be that way.

    2. The media evaluation sources below generally rate AP as left-center or slightly left, but all rate factual reporting and credibility as high.

      Media Bias/Fact Check Report for the Associated Press:

      Media Bias Rating: LEFT-CENTER (-2.1)
      Factual Reporting: HIGH (0.8)
      Country: USA
      MBFC’s Country Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE
      Media Type: News Agency
      Traffic/Popularity: High Traffic
      MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY
      https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/associated-press/

      Ad Fonts Media says that ratings above a 40 are good. It rates the Associated Press at 44.80
      https://adfontesmedia.com/ap-bias-and-reliability/

      You Gov poll chart ranks media that Americans trust:
      https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/52272-trust-in-media-2025-which-news-sources-americans-use-and-trust

  2. Great addition. How to bring national stories closer to home will also be useful to seeing how we fit in the bigger picture. The Light’s excellent reporters will also be seen by a larger audience. We so appreciate your in depth coverage of the local news. Thank you.

    1. How? When commenter comments are not posted. This column has to start speaking for all not just who you chose.

  3. With the other local options being the ST publishing USA Today/Ganet articles that are stale before they even hit my front porch and WBSM’s impossible-to-read, pop-ridden website, this is a win for local news readers.

  4. wonderful news. The AP is so respected for its accuracy and lack of bias that virtually all other news organizations will wait for AP’s word that an election has been won or lost before reporting it themselves.

    1. Your comment could not be father from the truth, but you and the others here are on the far left liberal bandwagon. Everything the New Bedford Light does slants left, they do nothing to be fair and balanced, and till they do they will not be fully serving this community.

  5. It states nonpartisan in the description of APFJ. Does this mean all our comments will be posted?

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