Morgan Chittum

<div id="highlights-block_62193847671c7" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>The original tweet advertising the NFT auction has since been deleted by the AP</li>
 <li>AP launched its photojournalism NFT marketplace at the end of January</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Following widespread outcry, the Associated Press has nixed the sale of a video NFT depicting an overcrowded group of migrants clinging to an inflatable raft in the Mediterranean.



The 145-year-old news collective initially touted the NFT (non-fungible token) sale, slated to begin Friday, on Twitter. The AP backtracked Thursday night in the face of heavy social media criticism.



“Tomorrow’s drop at noon EST on the AP Photography NFT Marketplace will feature video by @felipedana of migrants drifting in an overcrowded boat in the Mediterranean,” the agency wrote in a tweet that has since been deleted.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="608" height="1024" src="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_9872-608x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17967" srcset="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_9872-608x1024.jpg?w=608 608w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_9872-608x1024.jpg?w=178 178w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_9872-608x1024.jpg?w=768 768w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_9872-608x1024.jpg?w=912 912w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_9872-608x1024.jpg?w=153 153w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_9872-608x1024.jpg?w=155 155w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_9872-608x1024.jpg?w=130 130w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_9872-608x1024.jpg?w=48 48w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_9872-608x1024.jpg?w=30 30w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_9872-608x1024.jpg?w=1125 1125w" sizes="(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px" /><figcaption>A screenshot of the now-deleted Associated Press tweet</figcaption></figure></div>



The sale illuminates questions about journalism as a public service — especially when it comes to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/24/profiting-off-suffering-ap-cancels-sale-of-migrant-boat-nft-amid-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">laying bare human suffering</a> and uncovering inequities — and profiting from those accounts.



“The Associated Press is lost. Journalists at this organization should speak up and say, “When we document human suffering, the purpose is to inform the world, not to profit off NFT sales,” Michael David Smith, managing editor at NBC Sports, <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelDavSmith/status/1496986139269419009?s=20&amp;t=Q8rMWjM3gmTwUzBic66bNA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tweeted</a>.



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">The Associated Press is lost. Journalists at this organization should speak up and say, &quot;When we document human suffering, the purpose is to inform the world, not to profit off NFT sales.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/SaBVNSpDsH">https://t.co/SaBVNSpDsH</a>&mdash; Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelDavSmith/status/1496986139269419009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2022</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



Software engineer and Web3 writer Molly White said the decision to “monetize a video of human suffering” made obsolete “any goodwill the AP might have had for their NFT project.”



“The already horrific NFT announcement was particularly ill-timed, given its juxtaposition on many Twitter feeds amongst news of Russian military action against Ukraine,” White <a href="https://web3isgoinggreat.com/?id=2022-02-24-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tweeted</a>.



Lauren Easton, an AP spokesperson, told Blockworks in a statement that the NFT was “a poor choice of imagery” that “has not or will not be up for auction.”



“AP’s NFT marketplace is a very early pilot program, and we are immediately reviewing our efforts,” Easton said. “As a not-for-profit, AP’s mission is to inform the world with accurate, unbiased journalism. That remains our primary focus.”



AP <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/associated-press-archive-photography-to-be-sold-via-nfts/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">first launched</a> its photography NFT marketplace at the end of January, then billed as a way to give “collectors the opportunity to access AP archives and collect unique NFTs — including AP’s Pulitzer Prize-winning images.”



The marketplace has since released NFTs on a rolling basis, with prices ranging from $219 to $1,799. Proceeds go to the non-profit newsroom.



“AP’s photographers have recorded the world’s biggest stories through gripping and poignant images that continue to resonate today,” Dwayne Desaulniers, AP director of blockchain and data licensing, previously told Blockworks. “As new audiences and opportunities emerge on-chain and adopt the benefits of NFTs, we’re watching closely and responding in order to find the right models to present AP journalism on-chain.”



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AP Calls Off Sale of Stranded Migrants NFT After Twitter Outcry

Macauley Peterson

<div id="highlights-block_61dd6cc46000e" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>The AP says its marketplace “offers collectors the opportunity to access AP archives and collect unique NFTs — including AP&#8217;s Pulitzer Prize-winning images”</li>
 <li>The marketplace is being built by Xooa, a company which specializes in building white-label NFT marketplaces for brands</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



The development of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has unlocked new avenues for the monetization of all sorts of media, from <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/?s=music">music</a>, to art, to <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/australian-open-serves-up-nfts-linked-to-live-matches/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sporting events</a>. Now the Associated Press is getting in on the action by minting a series of photos from its 175-year archive, <a href="https://www.ap.org/press-releases/2022/ap-to-launch-nft-marketplace-built-by-xooa" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to a statement</a> published late Monday.



The AP will release a series of NFT drops — three photos per week over a ten-week period — beginning on Jan. 31, via <a href="https://apmarket.xooa.com/">a bespoke marketplace</a> built by Xooa, a Denver-based blockchain and low-code application development company which promotes a variety of use cases for NFTs.



“For 175 years, AP’s photographers have recorded the world’s biggest stories through gripping and poignant images that continue to resonate today,” said Dwayne Desaulniers, AP director of blockchain and data licensing, in a statement.



&#8220;As new audiences and opportunities emerge onchain and adopt the benefits of NFTs, we’re watching closely and responding in order to find the right models to present AP journalism onchain,” Desaulniers told Blockworks.



The collection is expected to feature a variety of images such as space, climate, and war and will feature the work of specific AP photographers.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">&#8220;Photographers are deeply involved in the AP photography marketplace. The entire project is curated by an AP photojournalist, and we’ve asked our staff to hand-pick the works they would like to offer,&#8221; said Desaulniers.</blockquote>



Collectors will be able to purchase photos using both credit cards and digital asset wallets such as <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/metamask-growth-shows-defi-cruising-into-mainstream/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MetaMask</a>, and proceeds from the NFT sales will be used to fund the not-for-profit news cooperative’s ongoing journalism operations, according to the statement.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2021-01-11-AP-nft1_734h-1024x709-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-13769"/><figcaption>This Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of a Jewish settler challenging Israeli security officers in the West Bank settlement of Amona, Feb. 1, 2006, will be among the first NFTs available on AP’s NFT marketplace. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)</figcaption></figure>



Zach Danker-Feldman, Xooa’s head of marketplaces, elaborating on the upcoming launch, said in a statement that, for the AP marketplace, “emphasis has been placed on accessibility for all types of collectors to empower them to join a community that shares their interest in stunning photography.”



The marketplace’s FAQ cites “withdrawals to other marketplaces” — such as <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/?s=opensea" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OpenSea</a> — among its “features coming soon.&#8221; Krystal Delaney from Xooa told Blockworks that &#8220;in the initial period, secondary marketplaces transactions will only occur on the AP NFT marketplace.&#8221; But, she noted, &#8220;we are actively looking into supporting other marketplaces as well.&#8221;



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">&#8220;The initial collection will have multiple drops every other day (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) at different price point, each drops over a period of few months. As we get closer to launch date, the initial drops schedule will be shared with the community,&#8221; Delaney said.</blockquote>



The AP marketplace will store images on-chain via <a href="https://ipfs.io/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IPFS</a>, and operate on the <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/?s=polygon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Polygon&#8217;s</a> Ethereum-adjacent proof-of-stake (PoS) commit chain, which the AP touts as an “environmentally friendly Ethereum-compatible layer two solution.”



However, Ethereum layer-2 is generally defined as a scaling solution which inherits Ethereum’s security guarantees. The Polygon PoS chain — which is based on <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/?s=cosmos" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cosmos</a>’ Tendermint consensus — maintains its own validator set for security, and assets are locked in an upgradeable smart contract <a href="https://twitter.com/0xPolygon/status/1393256861315436546?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">secured by a 5 of 8 multi-signature wallet</a>. The network does checkpoint its state to Ethereum mainnet, which contributes to its security, but that means it will continue to rely on Ethereum’s electricity-burning proof-of-work mining system until the transition to proof-of-stake occurs later this year. This process would occur regardless of the specific activity on Polygon, so AP&#8217;s NFTs will not directly contribute to energy usage by Ethereum miners.



Polygon is also developing <a href="https://twitter.com/0xPolygon/status/1480605296351277059" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a variety of rollup-based layer-2 options</a> using zero-knowledge proofs, but none of those is yet operational.



This story was updated on Jan. 11, at 11:25 am ET, with comments from Xooa.



<meta charset="utf-8">This story was updated on Jan. 11, at 11:58 am ET, with comments from the AP.



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