Tina Morton stands on the porch of her home in Winchester, Ky., Dec. 4, 2020. Morton, one of about 88,000 Kentuckians who could lose unemployment assistance in December, is worried about what will happen to her family if her jobless aid ends.
AP Photo / Timothy D. Easley
State government reporters Farnoush Amiri, Columbus, Ohio; Acacia Coronado, Austin, Texas; Andrew Field, Topeka, Kansas; Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Louisville, Kentucky; and Casey Smith, Indianapolis; working with business writer Christopher Rugaber and photographers Charlie Riedel and Tim Easley, gave voice to some of the millions of Americans whose unemployment benefits will run out by year’s end unless Congress reverses course and decides to act.
The joint effort between Business News and AP’s Report for America team combined sensitive field reporting and expert handling of the most relevant data, producing a people-focused all-formats piece that highlights the human cost of government inaction as the virus surges anew amid a faltering job market.