Contributing Marketplace News

The Contribute Story page is a form used to specify a news item's format, metadata, and story/caption information. Your published content is available to other Marketplace users, nationally (from the 50 states), statewide and within your group (consortium of related newspapers), as well as to AP Editors. However, you can restrict specific organizations within your state from accessing your content.

Unlike AP content, Marketplace content is available in AP Exchange for up to one year.

To create a news item:

1. Click Manage in the Navigation bar; then click Contribute under the Marketplace heading at left.
   Result: The Contribute Story page appears. Required boxes are highlighted in pink or green.

2. Specify all appropriate form boxes. The form is divided into four logical steps:

1. Step 1: Choose Format

   Select the news item's media type (Text, Photo or Graphic).

   

   The boxes in section Step 2: Upload Content update according to your selection.

2. Step 2: Upload Content - Specify the news item's details in each of the following sections:

• Photo/Graphic

  (Not available for text stories)

  Specify the image's file path. Click Browse to select the image from your personal computer or shared drive. The image's path populates in the Upload box.

  The maximum upload file size is 4 MB.

  File formats:

  • Photos - JPEG

  

  Photos have required and optional special details that are relevant for AP Editors:

  Category	(Required to send to AP Editors) Select the photo's main classification grouping (Example: Finance and Business).
  Color	Select the photo's color scheme (Example: Greyscale).
  Scene	Select the photo's view (Example: Headshot).
  Date Shot	Enter the date the photo was taken in MM/DD/YYYY format or select it from the calendar .
  Supp. Category	Select the photo's sub-classification grouping (Example: Finance and Business). Note: The items in this menu are dependent on your Category selection.
  Transref	(Required to send to AP Editors) Trans Reference number. A unique code to identify photos.
  Caption By	Enter the name of the caption writer.
  Time Shot	Slide the time scale or specify the time in HH:MM AM/PM format.

  • Graphics - PDF, EPS, Adobe Illustrator (AI), Freehand 9 (FH9)

  

• Member Information

  These boxes are pre-populated for you based on your organization's profile information. You cannot edit this information.

  

• Headline Information

  The Headline box (Example: FDA investigates possible cancer link with parabens) is required for saving and publishing. All other boxes are optional.

  

  Click or beside the Headline box to hide or show the optional boxes, respectively.

  

• Slugline, Format, Priority and Other Information

  The Slugline box (Example: BC-Wall Street) is required to send the content to AP Editors. The Copyright box (Example: California Mountain Times) is required for publishing. All other boxes are optional.

  

  Special notes:

  • Copyright
    By default, this box pre-populated with the current year and your organization's name. However, you can change it if needed.

  • Story Link
    If your news item appears on your organization's news Web site, specify the URL required to access it.

  • Publish Date
    Select Now to publish the story immediately; otherwise, specify a publish date (enter it in MM/DD/YYYY format or select it from the calendar ) and time (slide the Time scale or specify the time in HH:MM AM/PM format).

• Dateline Information

  The City and State boxes (Example: Panama City, Florida) are required for publishing. The Country box (Example: France) is required for sending the content to AP Editors.

  

• Audience Scope

  Select the member scope that should receive your content (Global, National, State or Local). By default, this box defaults to Global.

  

• Byline Information

  The Byline box (Example: Jane Stevenson) is required for publishing; the Title box (Example: Sports Writer) is required for sending the content to AP Editors. Specify the news item's author (creator) and their job title.

  

• Author Contact Information

  All boxes are optional. Specify the e-mail address and phone number of the person who created this news item.

  

• Content

  This box is required for publishing. Enter the full story or complete image caption.

  

• Summary

  This box is optional. Enter a brief description of the story or image.

  

• Editor's Notes

  Use this box to enter any editor's notes or special instructions (Example: **Restrict to Florida members**).

  

If you submitted previous stories, AP Exchange maintains a history of your entries and selections.

3. Step 3: Send to All U.S. Newspapers?

   Select one or more distribution options.

   

   Publish nationally	The news item is available to Marketplace users in all 50 states. The content appears under "National Marketplace" in the Marketplace portlet.
   Publish to my state	Restricts the news item's availability to Marketplace users within your state. The content appears under "State Marketplace" in the Marketplace portlet.
   Publish to your group	Restricts the news item's availability to Marketplace users within your group (newspaper consortium). The content appears under "My Group" in the Marketplace portlet.
   Publish to AP	(Available only for photos) Sends the news item to AP Editors for further editing or processing for inclusion in the AP Report.

4. Step 4: Restrict Access

   Although we hope that you share your content broadly, you can also specify content restrictions:

   • Out Papers section
     Restrict access to news organizations within your state that should not access your content.

   You are not allowed to restrict specific out-of-state organizations. If you want to restrict an out-of-state organization, you must restrict all of them. See Step 3: Send to All U.S. Newspapers?

   • Outing Restrictions section
     (For photos only) Select common usage restrictions to your content.

   • Other Outings sections
     (For photos only) Enter other restrictions to your content.

   

   To...	Do this...
   Find specific organizations	Specify a full or partial organization/restriction name in the respective search box. As you begin typing the name, the results update to display only entries that match your entered term.
   Restrict organizations from accessing your content/ Select a restriction	Select their check boxes. The selected items appear under the Out Papers section. An "Outed" organization cannot access your content; a restriction is applied to your content, removing it from specific use.
   Assign pre-defined restrictions	(For photos only) Select the appropriate check boxes in the Outing Restrictions section (Ex: No Internet).
   Add more restrictions	(For photos only) Enter any additional outing instructions in the Other Outings box.
   Page through organizations (for states with many news organizations)	Click a page navigation button or select a page number from the Page menu. The navigation buttons and Page menu do not appear if the number of results can fit on one page.
   Change the number of entries per page	Select your desired page length (5, 10, 20, 50 or 100) from the Page size menu.
   Refresh your results	Click .
   Remove any restrictions	Individual restrictions: Click beside the item's name. All restrictions for a section: Click Clear All.
   Sort the results	Click the heading. Click the heading once to sort the organizations alphabetically in ascending order (A to Z). Click the heading again to sort the organizations alphabetically in descending order (Z to A).

3. Perform ONE of the following actions:

To save your news item without publishing it:

Click Save. A warning message appears.

Click OK. AP Exchange automatically directs you to the Contribution Lineup page. Saved items appear in the Not Yet Published Documents section.

To publish your news item to the Marketplace:

Click Publish. A warning message appears.

Click OK. Your news item is now available to members via the Marketplace portlet. In addition, AP Exchange automatically directs you to the Contribution Lineup page. Published items appear in the Published Documents section.

To preview your news item:

Click Preview. Your news item displays in a separate preview window. You can click Preview at any time during news creation.