Content Items

Content Items is a collection of content item resources, each of which represents FT content (for example, an article). Content Items methods enable your application to get an item of content, and search through content items. Each content item has a unique identifier.

The api returns items of content types “story” and “slideshow”, and source “FT”. Requests for items that exist but do not fulfill these conditions will return HTTP status code 403 (forbidden).

If blogposts feature is enabled the api will return items of content types “blogPost” as well.

Methods

MethodREST URI Description
get GET /content/items/v1/{itemId} Get an item of content.
search POST /content/search/v1 Search all items of content.

Relative to the base URI: https://api.ft.com

Content Item Resource Representation

A content item is represented in the API as a JSON data structure (shown below) that is received in the body of a response. This representation is the set of all possible fields a content item can contain.

These fields are grouped together logically as “aspects” of the content. For example, the initial and latest publication dates are grouped together in the “lifecycle” aspect.

Different types of content will not support the same aspects. For example, a slideshow doesn’t support the “summary” aspect. Each content type will have an “aspectSet” that specifies the list of aspects that are applicable for that content type.

Currently, articles and slideshows can be retrieved from the API. An article has an aspectSet of “article”, and a slideshow has an aspectSet of “slideshow”. If the feature is enabled, blogposts can be retrieved as well. A blogpost has an aspectSet of “blogPost”

{
    “aspectSet”: string,
    “aspects”: [ string ],
    “modelVersion”: string,
    “id”: string,
    “apiUrl”: string,
    “title”: {
      “title”: string
    },
  “body”: { “mediaType”: “string”
    “body”: “string”
  },
  “lifecycle”: {
    “initialPublishDateTime”: datetime,
    “lastPublishDateTime”: datetime
  },
  “location”: {
    “uri”: string
  },
  “summary”: {
    “excerpt”: string
  },
  “packaging”: {
    “spHeadline”: string
  },
  “master”: {
    “masterSource”: string,
    “masterEntityId”: string
  },
  “editorial”: {
    “subheading”: string,
    “leadBody”: string,
    “standFirst”: string,
    “byline”: string
  },
  “provenance”: {
    “originatingParty”: string
  },
  “textualBody”: {
    “isImageLed”: boolean
  },
  “usage”: {
    “publications”: [
       {
        “name”: string,
        “id”: string
       }
    ]
  },
  “metadata”: {
    “primarySection”: {
      “term”: {
        “name”: string,
        “id”: string,
        “attributes”:[
          {
            “key” : string
            “value” : string
          }
        ],
        “taxonomy”: string
      }
    },
    “primaryTheme”: {
      “term”: {
        “name”: string,
        “id”: string,
        “attributes”:[
          {
            “key” : string
            “value” : string
          }
        ],
        “taxonomy”: string
      }
    },
    “tags”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “attributes”: [
            {
              “key” : string
              “value” : string
            }
          ],
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ] ,
    “authors”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ],
    “brand”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ],
    “genre”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ],
    “icb”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ],
    “iptc”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ],
    “mediaType”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ],
    “organisations”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “attributes”: [
            {
              “key” : wsod_key
              “value” : string
            },
            {
              “key” : is_company
              “value” : string
            }
          ],
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ],
    “people”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ],
    “regions”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ],
    “sections”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ],
    “specialReports”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ],
    “subjects”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ],
    “topics”: [
      {
        “term”: {
          “name”: string,
          “id”: string,
          “taxonomy”: string
        }
      }
    ]
  },
  “images”: [
    {
      “url”: string,
      “type”: string,
      “source”: string,
      “alt”: string,
      “caption”: string,
      “height”: number,
      “width”: number,
      “mediaType”: string
    }
  ],
  “package”: [
    {
      “aspectSet”: string,
      “aspects”: [ string ],
      “id”: string,
      “apiUrl”: string,
      “packaging”: {
        “kicker”: string,
        “spHeadline”: string
      },
      “provenance”: {
        “originatingParty”: string
      }
    }
  ],
 “assets”: [
    {
      “type”: string,
      “name”: string,
      “fields”: [
     “title”: string,
           “slides”: [
            “slides”: string,
                  “slideNumber”: number,
      “source”: string,
      “alt”: string,
      “caption”: string,
      “height”: number,
      “width”: number,
      “mediaType”: string
                 ]
       ]
    }
  ],
  “mediaAssets”: [
    {
      “type”: string,
      “name”: string,
      “slideshowHeading”: string,
      “slides”: [
        {“slideNumber”: number
          “url”: string,
          “source”: string,
          “alt”: string,
          “caption”: string,
          “height”: number,
          “width”: number,
          “mediaType”: string
        }
       ]
    }
  ]
}

Content Item Aspects

Aspect NameValueDescription
assets[] list All non-plain-text components from the body of content (for example, videos, slideshows)
body object The main body of the content and its media type
editorial object Editorially-defined teaser text and byline
images[] list Images associated with this item of content. See Image Properties below.
lifecycle object Key publication dates for the content
location object Where this content can be found (e.g. url on the web site)
master object Details of the system the content originated in
mediaAssets[] list Deprecated Similar to assets, and has been replaced by this. Currently, the only supported type is ‘slideshow’
metadata object Details of the tags that apply to the content. See Content Item Properties below.
package[] list Items associated with this item of content - “more on this…”. See Package Item Properties below.
packaging object How this item should appear when presented in a story package
provenance object The organisation from which the content originates
summary object A short summary of the content
title object The title of the content, e.g. for articles the title relates to the headline
textualBody object Contains information about the body of the content. See Content Item Properties below.
usage object The usage of the content. Contains publication property. See Content Item Properties below.


Content Item Properties

Property NameValueDescription
aspectSet string The collective name for a set of aspects available for the requested item.
aspects[] list A list of all the aspects applicable to the requested item. Possible values are:  - title, body, lifecycle, location, summary, packaging, master, editorial, provenance, metadata, images, package, assets, mediaAssets (deprecated)
modelVersion string The API model version compatible with the request
id string The unique identifier for the item
apiUrl string The URL to retrieve this item from the API
title.title string The title of the item. For articles this is the main headline
body.mediaType string The media type of the body describes the content in the body.body. For example bodyFormat=plain will return mediaType text/plain and bodyFormat=structured will return text/html
body.body string The body contents of the item. By default this will be in structured HTML format, but can also be requested in plain text format if parameter bodyFormat=plain is supplied
lifecycle.initialPublishDateTime datetime The date and time the item was first published on www.ft.com, formatted as a string in ISO 8601 format
lifecycle.lastPublishDateTime datetime The date and time the item was last published on www.ft.com, formatted as a string in ISO 8601 format
location.uri string The URL to view this item on www.ft.com
summary.excerpt string A snippet of text showing context around keywords
packaging.kicker string The descriptive label preceding the headline for the item when it is displayed as an item in a list of related content
packaging.spHeadline string The headline title for the item when it is displayed as an item in a list of related content
master.masterSource string The name of the originating system where the item was created e.g. some articles are created in Methode, some videos are created in Brightcove
master.masterEntityId string The id of the item in the originating system
editorial.subheading string A short summary of content regarding the item. Typically available for ‘News’ content and 6 to 10 words long.
editorial.leadBody string A short summary of content regarding the item. 140 characters max.
editorial.standFirst string A short summary of content regarding the item. Typically available for ‘Comment’ or ‘Analysis’ content, 15 to -20 words.
editorial.byline string The author(s) of the item
provenance.originatingParty string The original source of the item (e.g. FT, Reuters)
usage.publications[] list Non-null, non-empty set of enumerated values { “FT Weekend” | “FT.com” }. The publication property will always be returned as part of the usage aspect. It represents the FT publication into which the item of Content has been published.
textualBody.isImageLed boolean Our editorial team recommends that this content is displayed in an image led manner.
metadata.primarySection object The primary section this item of content is associated with
metadata.primarySection.term object The primary section term this item of content is associated with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.primaryTheme object The primary theme this item of content is associated with
metadata.primaryTheme.term object The primary theme term this item of content is associated with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.tags[] list The list of tags this item of content has been tagged with
metadata.tags[].term object The metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.authors[] list The list of authors metadata this item of content has been tagged with. Authors metadata is a controlled list of authors that contributed to the news content. For example: Martin Wolf.
metadata.authors[].term object An authors metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.brand[] list A list of brand metadata this item of content has been tagged. Brand metadata defines the brands used in the FT’s content, which includes all of our regular columns and microsites/sections. For example: Martin Wolf, FT Alphaville
metadata.brand[].term object A brand metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.genre[] list A list of genre metadata this item of content has been tagged with. Genre metadata indicates the journalistic characteristic of the content. For example: News, Comment, Review.
metadata.genre[].term object A genre metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.icb[] list A list of ICB metadata this item of content has been tagged with. The Industry Classification Benchmark is a definitive system used to classify publicly listed companies into their respective industry sectors. For example: 8770 Financial Services, 5500 Media.
metadata.icb[].term object An icb metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.iptc[] list A list of IPTC metadata this item of content has been tagged with. The IPTC (defined by the International Press Telecommunications Council) is a subject classification for news stories widely used within the news industry. For example: 04008020 - credit and debt, 04008023 - financial markets.
metadata.iptc[].term object An iptc metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.mediaType[] list A list of mediaType metadata this item of content has been tagged with. MediaType metadata defines at a broad level the media type of the content. For example: Video, Slideshow.
metadata.mediaType[].term object A mediaType metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.organisations[] list A list of Organisation metadata this item of content has been tagged with. Organisation metadata is a controlled list of public and private companies as well as business and political organisations. For example: ThyssenKrupp AG, Bank of England. For Organisation metadata that relates to companies, the WSOD key for that company will be included.
metadata.organisations[].term object An organisation metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.people[] list The list of people metadata this item of content has been tagged with. People metadata is a controlled list of notable people mentioned within news content. For example: Gordon Brown.
metadata.people[].term object A person metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.regions[] list The list of region metadata this item of content has been tagged with. Region metadata is a hierarchical list of geographical areas covering commonly understood regions, countries and continents. For example: United Kingdom, Greece, London, Europe.
metadata.regions[].term object A region metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.sections[] list The list of section metadata this item of content has been tagged with. Sections metadata is a list of categories that correspond to FT.com’s website sections. For example: World, Global Economy.
metadata.sections[].term object A section metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.specialReports[] list The list of specialReport metadata this item of content has been tagged with. Special Reports metadata is a list of special reports written by the FT. For example: Energy 2012, Arab World: Banking and Finance.
metadata.specialReports[].term object A specialReports metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.subjects[] list The list of subject metadata this item of content has been tagged with. Subject metadata is a hierarchical taxonomy of business and world news subjects, devised by the FT, and used to broadly categorise news content. For example: Mergers & Acquisitions
metadata.subjects[].term object A subject metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
metadata.topics[] list The list of topic metadata this item of content has been tagged with. Topic metadata is a more volatile list of topical news subjects that reflects the current news agenda. For example: If Greece goes…, Lehman Brothers collapse.
metadata.topics[].term object A topic metadata term this item of content has been tagged with. See Metadata Term Properties below.
assets[].type string The type of this asset e.g. slideshow, video
assets[].name string The name of this asset. There will be a tag in the structured body that indicates where the named asset belongs in context to the item body e.g.
assets[].fields string Contains fields relevant to the asset. See Field properties
mediaAssets[].type string Deprecated The type of this media asset. Currently, the only supported type is ‘slideshow’
mediaAssets[].name string Deprecated The name of this asset. There will be an <a> tag in the structured body with a “rel” element set to “media-asset” and a “name” element set to the value used here, so that the mediaAsset can be linked to its position in the body.
mediaAssets[].slideshowHeading string Deprecated The heading for this slideshow
mediaAssets[].slides[] list Deprecated An ordered list of the slides in this slideshow. Each slide is an image - see Image Properties below. Slides do not have a specified image.type.


Metadata Term Properties

Property NameValueDescription
id string The id of the metadata term
name string The name of the metadata term
attributes[] list Attributes relating to the metadata term
attributes[].key string The attribute key
attributes[].value string The attribute value
taxonomy string The taxonomy the metadata term belongs to

For organisations metadata, there are two specific attributes:

  • is_company - “true” for an organisation that is a company, “false” otherwise
  • wsod_key - the Wall Street on Demand key for this company. Example: “uk:VOD”. Attribute only present when there’s a value.

Image Properties

Property NameValueDescription
url string The URL to retrieve the image shown for this item
type string The image type (i.e. ‘primary’, ‘secondary’, ‘inline’)
source string The originating source
caption string The caption text for the image
alt string The alt text for the image
height number The height of the image in pixels
width number The width of the image in pixels
mediaType string The media type of the image, e.g. image/jpeg
slideNumber* number The order number of the slide in the slideshow *only available for”slides” in mediaAssets



Package Item Properties

Property NameValueDescription
aspectSet string The collective name for a set of aspects available for the requested item
aspects list A list of all the aspects applicable to the requested item. Possible values are:  - title, body, lifecycle, location, summary, packaging, master, editorial, provenance, metadata, images, package, assets, mediaAssets (deprecated)
id string The unique identifier for the item
apiUrl string The URL to retrieve this item from the API
packaging object An aspect listing more content items related to this item
packaging.kicker string A descriptive label for the item preceding the headline when it is displayed as an item in a list of related content
packaging.spHeadline string The headline title for the item when it is displayed as an item in a list of related content
provenance object The provenance aspect
provenance.originatingParty string The original source of the item (e.g. FT, Reuters)


Asset Fields Properties

The fields for the asset may vary depending on the type of asset.

Slideshow

Property NameValueDescription
title string The title for the asset
slides list If the asset is a slideshow, it will have slides in the fields. An ordered list of the slides in this slideshow. Each slide is an image - see Image Properties. Slides do not have a specified image.type.

Video

Property NameValueDescription
source string The name of the asset provider e.g. Brightcove.
sourceReference string The reference for the asset in the context of the asset provider.

Pull Quote

A pull quote is a quotation or excerpt from an article that is typically placed in a larger or distinctive typeface on the same page, serving to entice readers into an article or to highlight a key topic.

Property NameValueDescription
body string The body text of the quote.
attribution string The source of the quote.

Interactive Graphic

An interactive graphic is a interactive data graphic which is key content in the story.

Property NameValueDescription
id string The id of the interactive graphic.
url string The url (location) of the interactive resource.

Background News

The Background News is historical information that gives context to the article.

Property NameValueDescription
title string The title of the background news
body string The body of the background news

Data Table

A data table is tabulated data to be included as part of the story. e.g. a company’s results figures.

Property NameValueDescription
body string The body of the data table.

Promo box

The promobox contains promotional information that is related to the article.

Property NameValueDescription
title string The title of the promobox.
headline string The headline of the promobox.
intro string The introduction in the promobox.
link string The link in the promobox.
image object The associated image in the promobox - see Image Properties

Structured Body

The default body format is structured HTML. The following HTML tags may be included in the structured body.

HTML Tag Description
<h1>to <h6> Headings
<ol>, <ul> and <li> Ordered lists, unordered lists and list items
<p> Paragraphs
<aside data-asset-type=“” data-asset-name=“”> Assets for example Slideshow and Videos. The data-asset-name references the assets[].name so that the asset can be linked to its position in the body
<a href=“”> Hyperlinks
<br> Line breaks
<span class=“ft-bold”> Bold text
<span class=“ft-italic”> Italicised text
<span class=“ft-underlined”> Underlined text
<strong> Strong text
<em> Emphasised text
<small> Small text
<sub> Subscript
<sup> Superscript
<img src=“” alt=“” width=“” height=“” align=“”/> Images
<blockquote> Quoted text
<del> Strikethrough text