As conflict unfolded night after night in Portland, Oregon, AP journalists spent a weekend both outside among the protesters, and inside the courthouse with rare access to federal agents, providing unmatched perspective from both sides of the political divide.
This week’s Best of the Week winner celebrates the work of a team of reporters, photographers and video journalists whose extensive coverage of the Portland protests against racial injustice culminated in an exclusive all-formats look at the conflict from the perspective of both demonstrators and federal law enforcement agents.
On the last weekend of July, federal law enforcement reporter Mike Balsamo embedded overnight Friday and Saturday with U.S. agents inside the downtown federal courthouse, where thousands of demonstrators gathered nightly to protest their presence, while Portland reporter Gillian Flaccus continued her coverage from the crowd massed outside the courthouse perimeter.
Visual journalists Noah Berger, Marcio Sanchez and Aron Ranen captured both sides of the conflict with exclusive access negotiated by Balsamo, who has developed sources and contacts within federal agencies.
Demonstrators try to cut through a steel fence outside the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., during a Black Lives Matter protest, July 24, 2020.
AP Photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez
A federal officer dons a gas mask inside the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., as officers kept protesters away from the building, July 25, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Federal officers inside the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., prepare for a possible skirmish with protesters massed outside the courthouse, July 25, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Seen from a window at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., Black Lives Matter protesters march up SW Salmon Street, July 24, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Demonstrators march during a Black Lives Matter protest in Portland, Ore., July 24, 2020.
AP Photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez
Demonstrators shield themselves from federal officers during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 25, 2020.
AP Photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez
A federal officer, left, monitors security camera feeds as officers worked to keep protesters away from the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 24, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
A federal officer sits in the darkened lobby of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., waiting to respond to mass protests outside the federal courthouse, July 24, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Beams from protesters’ laser pointers cross the darkened lobby of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., as federal officers wait for a possible clash with demonstrators, July 24, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
As protesters gather behind a fence, federal officers work to maintain a perimeter in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 24, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Demonstrators address the crowd during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 23, 2020.
AP Photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez
A sign reads “I Can't Breath” on a fence during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 23, 2020.
AP Photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez
Demonstrators shield themselves behind a toppled fence as federal officers deploy tear gas during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 26, 2020.
AP Photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez
Demonstrators amid gas canisters, right, back away from federal officers during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 24, 2020.
AP Photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez
Federal officers guard the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., as a fire lit by protesters burns on the other side of a perimeter fence, July 25, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Federal officers, background, advance on protesters during a Black Lives Matter demonstration at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 25, 2020.
AP Photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez
A demonstrator lies down in front of federal officers during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 26, 2020.
AP Photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez
A bloodied demonstrator plays a trumpet after clashing with police during a protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 27, 2020.
AP Photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez
A federal officer holds a tear gas rifle during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 26, 2020.
AP Photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez
A basket contains items hurled by protesters at federal officers guarding the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 24, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
A federal officer displays wounds for a law enforcement photographer to document after a skirmish with protesters at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 25, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
A paint-splattered riot shield sits in a hallway at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., as federal officers faced off with protesters, July 25, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
After a night of facing off against protesters, a deputy U.S. marshal takes a break on a rooftop terrace at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., July 26, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Balsamo’s reporting and the visuals inside the courthouse provided context and perspective that no other news organization could match. The reporters and visual journalists, both inside and outside the courthouse, documented the pitched confrontations and chaos, as well as the human stories amid the nightly volley of fireworks and tear gas canisters, often at risk to themselves.
The AP team combined to produce a powerful, all-formats package of the weekend’s events, assisted by Sara Cline in Salem, Oregon, who tracked activities nightly via social media and her own reporting, and helped Flaccus compile a timeline, while video journalist Krysta Fauria produced the video pieces.
The defining all-formats feature that moved Sunday night was the most clicked/engaged online AP story for much of Monday, and was cited by commentators for its detailed, comprehensive and fair portrayal of a conflict that came to symbolize the current divisions in the United States.
For balanced and insightful coverage from both sides of the Portland divide, setting AP apart on a highly charged story, the team of Flaccus, Balsamo, Ranen, Sanchez, Berger, Cline and Fauria wins AP’s Best of the Week award.
