The Alabama Press Association is the state trade association of daily
and weekly newspapers in Alabama. Its active membership includes 24
daily newspapers and 101 non-daily newspapers. In addition, its
membership includes over 120 associate members, which represent
newspaper vendors, colleges and universities and other organizations
allied to the newspaper industry.
Active members must have been published weekly under a Publications
Class (Second Class) Postal Permit for a period of one year.
Founded in 1871 as the Editors and Publishers Association of Alabama,
the name was changed to Alabama Press Association in 1891.
APA represents the interests of the newspaper industry by offering two
annual conventions and a number of workshops and conferences. It also
represents the newspaper industry before the state legislature, focusing
on government access laws and on business-related laws that impact the
newspaper industry. It also offers media law advice to active member
newspapers through its APA Legal Hotline, media law guides and offers a
number of other services.
APA acts as a clearing house of information that it provides to members
through its monthly newsletter, AlaPressa, and its semi-annual tabloid,
The Alabama Publisher. In addition, it publishes an annual newspaper
directory and semi-annual advertising rate updates. The APA staff also
seeks to help members find answers to problems and challenges they face
by referring them to other members or to experts outside the membership.
From time to time, APA pays for readership research that it provides to
member newspapers.