AP collaborates with SAM to launch AP Social Newswire

The Associated Press will work with social media management platform SAM to launch the AP Social Newswire, a feed of user-generated content (UGC) being vetted and verified by AP's social media experts and editors across the globe.

The AP Social Newswire will allow customers to discover and inspect user-generated content as it comes into the AP newsroom, offering real-time access to the news agency's UGC verification process through the SAM platform.

"The AP Social Newswire allows customers to benefit from AP's expertise in verifying user generated content, helping them sort out the real from the fake," said Jim Kennedy, AP senior vice president for strategic planning. "Together with SAM, we are able to offer a powerful combination of content and technology to help newsrooms navigate the flood of photo and videos being shared across social media, especially in breaking news situations."

AP Social Media Editor Eric Carvin added: "Our UGC experts around the world use SAM to find, track, verify and collaborate around social content. The AP Social Newswire offers a window into that work – what we're looking for, what we've found, and what we've authenticated or debunked."

Through the SAM platform, customers will be able to view multiple feeds and monitor the process by which editors find, manage and publish UGC. They will also have the ability to fully and seamlessly integrate UGC into their stories through embed codes.

"Demand to sift, verify and curate UGC has never been higher. Nearly every newsroom relies heavily on UGC to report on local and international events, yet it remains the most difficult and understaffed part of the newsroom," said James A. Neufeld, CEO and founder of SAM. "This collaboration with AP is so much more than collecting social media posts – it's a real-time feed of status reports as UGC gets verified and cleared. We couldn't be more excited to work with the formidable AP on something this big and important for the entire news industry."

The AP Social Newswire content ranges from the biggest global news of the day to regional coverage, with an emphasis on trending stories. AP applies the same level of editorial standards to UGC as it does to its own newsgathering.

SAM, a web-based tool used to manage user-generated content, provides a digital workspace for finding, authenticating, curating and publishing UGC and powers comprehensive search capabilities across major social networks.

AP has been using the SAM platform since 2015 and owns an equity stake in the company.