Supporting social change
Our objective: to report the news in a fair and comprehensive way, in step with the rapid transformations shaping our societies.
Our fundamental obligations prevent us from defending a cause but require us to report impartially on the developments taking place in society.
Like society itself, our newsroom is dynamic, open to debate and change, and seeks to highlight these developments with nuance and sensitivity. We offer enriched content (articles, interactive graphics, videographics, photos and videos), as well as reports and in-depth features, while making coverage of global warming, the impact of new technologies on lifestyles and tackling disinformation editorial priorities.
To fully reflect these priorities and better represent the changes in our society and our environment, AFP has structured its teams around dedicated desks and thematic groups, enabling more precise, more diverse, and more proactive news coverage. This includes the “New Audiences” group and the Planet desk.
“New Audiences” was created to ensure that our output accurately reflects our times. Made up of young journalists working directly with editors-in-chief, it reflects the diversity of the newsroom and gives a voice to younger generations. Its mission is to propose stories that capture emerging news trends.
Launched in 2022, it brings together journalists specialising in the environment and climate change, as well as those covering energy, transport, agriculture, and industry, to provide comprehensive coverage of the energy transition. It is coordinated by an editor-in-chief for the “Future of the Planet”, whose role is to ensure dynamic news coverage, anticipate major events and trends, and guarantee effective coordination across the network through text, photos, videos, graphics, and podcasts.
Thanks to its global network, AFP has strengthened its international coverage of climate change, which has received several awards. This coverage includes breaking news, major international events, as well as in-depth reporting and investigations highlighting the impact on populations and the concrete responses being developed. Specialist positions in Europe and Asia complement the system already in place in the United States, ensuring global presence and expertise.
This whole structure is coordinated by an editor-in-chief for the “Future of the Planet”, responsible for ensuring dynamic coverage of the news, anticipating major events and trends, and guaranteeing effective coordination across the network through text, photos, videos, graphics, and podcasts.
We consider it essential to address issues of diversity and gender proactively. Ensuring equal treatment for men and women, representing all social backgrounds, giving a voice to minorities, to people with disabilities and to different ways of life, and telling beyond the daily news agenda are part of our responsibility.
Our editorial guidelines formalise this commitment: using appropriate vocabulary, covering issues related to women, sexual orientation, discrimination and sexual violence, and following editorial guidelines that are regularly updated in the Stylebook. All staff, both journalists and managers, are required to pay close attention to these issues.
For several years, AFP has been working to improve the representation of women. News management has reviewed our content to identify stereotypes and gaps, to propose improvements and to embed this work with recommendations set out in the Charter of Best Practices and in the Stylebook.
A journalist responsible for editorial standards and diversity is part of the central editorial management. For AFP, cohesion and social justice depend on combating stereotypes and ensuring fair representation.