AP realigns business news coverage around beats

The Associated Press has realigned its business news department around industry beats to make its spot news coverage even more authoritative and bolster enterprise writing, the news cooperative said Wednesday.

AP business reporters are now slotted into 12 teams, each led by an editor who will coordinate coverage. The topics those teams will focus on are: financial markets, the economy, retailing, technology, media and entertainment, health care, autos, airlines, energy, manufacturing, personal finance and real estate.

"Our goal is to improve everything we do so we can be more successful in an increasingly competitive market for business news," said Business Editor Hal Ritter.

Ritter, who officially took over in June, said the AP aims to "deepen our coverage of spot news, break more news and produce more outstanding enterprise."

AP competes with Reuters, Bloomberg L.P. and units of News Corp. for distribution of its stories in newspapers and online.

"We can't afford not to be driven by the needs of customers and their readers. At all times," Ritter said in a note to staff.

Reporters will be based in New York, Washington and 28 other domestic bureaus. Reporters in international bureaus will augment beat coverage from overseas.

The Associated Press is a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its member news organizations. It was founded in 1846.