Q. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the AP strengthened its staffing/coverage of the Gulf Coast states to focus on the recovery. What is the status of AP's expanded coverage? What are some examples of enterprise-related stories that AP has developed to explain what's happening?

A. AP's commitment to the story is as strong as ever, with extra reporting power deployed in New Orleans and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and a second photographer added to the bureau staff. In the past year, our focus has shifted to holding those in power accountable for the successes and failures of the rebuilding effort.

For example, last spring, AP's Cain Burdeau was first to report that the Army Corps of Engineers had spent millions of dollars installing vital drainage pumps in New Orleans, knowing all the while the pumps did not work. The Corps has since spent additional millions on pumps to supplement the defective ones and investigations of its actions on the contract continue at the federal level. Burdeau continues to report on the safety of the city's levee and flood protection system.

Reporter John Gonzales uncovered the plight of New Orleans' homeless, their numbers doubled since Katrina and growing as affordable housing became scarce and bureaucratic foot-dragging kept rebuilding aid from getting to New Orleans. Gonzales and photographer Alex Brandon took to the streets, venturing into the eerie nocturnal shadow life of cratered, abandoned neighborhoods to tell the stories of the homeless, including those who set up a tent camp just outside City Hall and in full view of Mayor Ray Nagin. AP's reporting led to an influx of volunteer agencies to help find homes for the campers and pressure from Nagin on federal officials to release $3 million in funding to find housing for the homeless.

And Becky Bohrer broke an astounding story on counterproductive FEMA policies. As Orleanians tried to rebuild from the storm, some residents elevated their houses as much as 10 feet off the surface, expecting to receive some rebuilding funding. After months of haggling with state recovery officials, FEMA agreed to pay for home elevations – but only if the projects began after the date of the agreement. As many as 29,000 homeowners tired of waiting for battling bureaucracies to reach agreement who went ahead with their rebuilding plans would have been shut out of a pot of $1.1 billion. After AP's reporting, FEMA and state officials reached a new agreement that would make the money available to all.

There have been good news stories to tell, as well. In the weeks after Katrina, a rescue team had gone into a flooded hospital by boat and rescued embryos at a fertility clinic. Last January, the wife of a New Orleans police officer, gave birth to one of the implanted embryos (a healthy boy). Janet McConnaughey's reporting (accompanied by Brandon's video and multimedia) was a poignant reminder that a new generation already is coming forth.

Q. The wildfires that consumed homes and threatened lives in California was a story that was being covered on many fronts. How did the AP coordinate coverage and to what extent did AP rely on member newspapers to assist with the coverage?

A. Virtually every AP staffer in Southern California was drawn into the coverage, either reporting from the field, working the phones in the office or editing stories. In addition, AP brought in reporters, photographers and video staffers from other states to bolster their efforts.

With so many people from various platforms covering such a mammoth story – the fires stretched 150 files from Malibu to the Mexican border – coordination, collaboration and communication were key. The Los Angeles crew held formal and informal meetings to plot coverage and make assignments several times a day, with representatives from all platforms attending, and conferred regularly with their colleagues on the national desk in New York.

Member cooperation was most evident in photos and video. The San Diego Union-Tribune staff was recognized as Photo Contributor of the Month in California for the many strong and insightful pictures submitted to the wire throughout the wildfires. And Karen Tapia-Anderson of the Los Angeles Times won the California AP's Photo of the Month for her image of firefighters deploying shelters during the wildfires. The Union-Tribune was also a strong provider of news video to the Online Video Network. The paper shared its own video as well as user generated video. On the day when the fires exploded in number and scope, the Union-Tribune scored 10 of the top 20 video streams on OVN for that day.

Q. With continuing reports of newspapers reducing their newsroom staffing and scaling back on some aspects of coverage, how this is affecting the AP's state reports? What is AP doing to assess the quality and quantity of local news from its members and whether there are emerging gaps caused by cuts in newspaper newsrooms?

A. Vibrant state reports remain at the heart of AP's mandate. While cuts in newspaper staffing are certainly of concern, they have not had a major impact on our ability to deliver reports of statewide interest every day. Meanwhile, the move by newspapers and broadcasters to publish news more aggressively on their Web sites has actually enhanced AP's ability to pick up and share breaking news quickly throughout a state. By monitoring Web sites, taking advantage of e-mail alerts and fostering relationships with members, we have been able in many cases to distribute news more quickly to our membership than in the past.

Also, the AP has started a pilot program in Florida hosting a site where members can share stories among themselves of local interest – stories that appeal to a small number of members but may not be of interest to a large percentage of a state's membership. The test has been successful, and there are plans to expand this throughout the country. As for assessing the quality and quantity of local news from our members and whether there are emerging gaps, this is something AP's local news managers and staff have always done to help us make day-to-day and longer-term decisions on how best to use AP staff for reporting to meet member needs.

Q. What are some of the free-press challenges AP is facing as it lays plans for coverage of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing? Anything to add about any particular action AP is taking on this front?

A. Covering the athletes within the sporting venues should be much the same as at previous games, but reporting outside the Olympic bubble is shaping up to be a considerable challenge.

The AP has been active in working with the International Olympic Committee in making sure that the Beijing organizing committee, Bocog, allows the news media to cover the games just as they have previous games elsewhere.

A year ago, the government kept a promise to the IOC and passed regulations dropping some of its onerous restrictions on travel and interviews by foreign reporters. In practice, however, foreign reporters continue to be harassed and have their reporting disrupted by police and other officials. This is not only happening in the provinces, where officials often ignore the central government's orders, but also in Beijing. Reporters and photographers have been briefly detained and questioned while covering attempts by ordinary Chinese to protest against government acts.

Most troubling is the increasing use of plainclothes operatives and for-hire thugs to carry out intimidation against journalists.

Many activist groups from inside China and abroad are hoping to use the Olympic spotlight to draw attention to their causes and grievances. A harsh response from Chinese security cannot be ruled out if these groups manage to pull off protests within the Olympic zone. That's especially true for the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which the government has outlawed and violently suppressed.

In an open letter released in late November, Reporters Without Borders cited "disturbing reports" about the way Chinese authorities are planning to deal with journalists, including plans to compile files on them and reserving the right to turn them back even if they were accredited by national Olympic committees.

Chinese statements have been equivocal about whether the government is compiling a database on foreign reporters, with some officials denying it, and others saying it is being kept to help Olympic organizers track the beats and interests of different journalists.