AP delivers powerful multiformat coverage of fast-moving Myanmar coup

AP responds with impressive multiformat coverage as Myanmar’s military seizes control of the government.

Early in the morning of Feb. 1, AP’s Yangon bureau alerted colleagues in the Bangkok regional hub of rumors that lawmakers and other elected political leaders had been arrested.

With communication lines down in the capital Naypyitaw, the seat of government, confusion gripped other parts of the country, but an alert went out to say there were reports of a coup underway. AP was quick to file photos and video footage showing the mood in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city.

About two hours after AP first learned of the rumors, Myanmar’s military TV announced that the military had taken power for a year, and another alert went out. More still and video images moved from Myanmar showing people queueing up at ATM machines to withdraw cash, and supporters of the military traveling around Yangon.

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Police officers block protesters on a road in Mandalay, Myanmar, Feb. 9, 2021. Demonstrators in major cities were defying a ban by Myanmar’s new military rulers on public gatherings of five or more people, intended to crack down on public protests against the military takeover.

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A car and motorcycles drive on a nearly deserted highway in Naypyitaw, capital of Myanmar, Feb. 1, 2021. Myanmar military television announced that the military was taking control of the country for one year, while reports said many of the country’s senior politicians including State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi had been detained.

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A convoy of army vehicles patrols the streets in Mandalay, Myanmar, Feb. 3, 2021, two days after Myanmar’s military took over the civilian government of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup over allegations of fraud in November’s elections.

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Armed riot police assemble near protesters in Naypyitaw, the capital of Myanmar, Feb. 8, 2021.

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Protesters in Mandalay, Myanmar, oppose the country’s military coup, Feb. 8, 2021.

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People beat pots and pans as they participate in a symbolic act of civil disobedience against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, Feb. 4, 2021.

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People give roses to police as four arrested activists were making a court appearance in Mandalay, Myanmar, Feb. 5, 2021. As resistance to the country’s military coup swelled, hundreds of students and teachers took to Myanmar’s streets to demand the military hand power back to elected politicians.

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Protesters on motorcycles flash three-fingered salutes during a demonstration in Mandalay, Myanmar, Feb. 6, 2021, against the Feb. 1 military coup.

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Protesters march towards the direction of Sule Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, Feb. 7, 2021. Thousands of people in Myanmar’s biggest city rallied against the military takeover, demanding the release of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, whose elected government was toppled by the army that also imposed an internet blackout.

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A man addresses protesters who gathered near Yangon City Hall in Yangon, Myanmar, Feb. 7, 2021. Thousands of people rallied against the country’s military takeover and demanded the release of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, whose elected government was toppled by the army that also imposed an internet blackout.

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Protesters against Myanmar’s new military regime flash the three-fingered salute, a symbol of resistance, during a protest in Mandalay, Myanmar, Feb. 9, 2021.

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Protesters carry images of deposed State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint in Mandalay, Myanmar, Feb. 8, 2021, a week after the country’s military takeover.

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A protester holds a placard with an image of Myanmar military Commander in Chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing during a demonstration in Mandalay, Myanmar, Feb. 8, 2021. Protest against Myanmar’s 1-week-old military government swelled rapidly as opposition to the coup grew increasingly bold.

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Protesters display placards with a defaced image of Myanmar military Commander in Chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing while calling for the release of detained Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest in Mandalay, Myanmar, Feb. 9, 2021.

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A police truck directs a water cannon at a crowd of protesters in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Feb. 8, 2021. Confrontations between the authorities and demonstrators over Myanmar’s week-old military coup boiled over as police fired water at peaceful protesters in the capital.

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Protesters regroup after police fired warning shots and directed water cannons at protesters in Mandalay, Myanmar, Feb. 9, 2021.

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A protester offers flowers and kneels on a road before a police officer in Mandalay, Myanmar, Feb. 6, 2021. Protests against the Feb. 1 military coup were growing despite official efforts to make organizing them difficult or illegal.

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A protesters flashes the three-fingered protest sign during a march in Mandalay, Myanmar, Feb. 8, 2021.

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Through it all, the footage and detailed descriptions of the situation on the ground inside Myanmar were crucial in fleshing out the text story being written by colleagues in Bangkok.

That initial work under difficult conditions set the stage for strong, competitive coverage of a challenging and rapidly evolving story that continues through today. And it is that outstanding work that AP honors with the Best of the Week award.

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Honorable Mentions:

AP: Catholic Church, sitting on billions, amassed PPP aid

Reese Dunklin and Michael Rezendes

investigated the Catholic Church’s receipt of billions in federal aid during the pandemic, breaking news and bringing accountability to both a massive government program and one of the world’s most powerful institutions.
The investigative reporters conducted an exclusive and exhaustive analysis showing that while Catholic entities were sitting on at least $10 billion in cash, the nation’s nearly 200 dioceses and other Catholic institutions received at least $3 billion from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, making the Roman Catholic Church perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the program, according to AP’s review.
The reporting required was formidable, including joining a federal lawsuit to get the full PPP data. Dunklin and Rezendes then led a blitz by colleagues to hand check tens of thousands of data points. That work tracked the apparently disproportionate aid to Catholic recipients compared to other faith groups and national charities.
The package reverberated through a busy news day and was covered in outlets as diverse as Slate and the Catholic News Agency.
https://bit.ly/371q7QG
https://bit.ly/3aPLVzO
https://bit.ly/3qfXeI4

AP exposes likely superspreader at federal executions

Michael Tarm, Michael Balsamo and Michael Sisak

have covered the spread of COVID-19 in prisons, as well as every federal execution of the last year. That reporting and insight led them to the stunning realization that the Trump administration’s unprecedented string of executions likely became a superspreader event at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Tarm first learned about the case spread when he heard that he had been exposed — although the Bureau of Prisons did not notify him or others attending the executions. Through rigorous, painstaking reporting, the three Michaels discovered that fully 70% of death row inmates had COVID during the 13 executions in six months, but the Bureau of Prisons felt it wasn’t their responsibility to ensure that everyone was told about the spread or whether their employees were following protocols.
The trio’s riveting story detailed how cases spread rapidly through the federal prison complex and likely helped spread infections around the country during a critical time in the pandemic as deaths were skyrocketing. The Friday evening scoop lit up social media and was a top news story well into the weekend. https://bit.ly/3qmh0Sh

Tip leads to scoop on end of family separation policy

Eric Tucker and Michael Balsamo

broke the news that the Biden-era Justice Department was about to undo the infamous “zero tolerance policy” that led to family separations.
When national security reporter Tucker received a tip on the policy change from a longtime source, he quickly relayed the information to DOJ reporter Balsamo. Working with Colleen Long, who covered Homeland Security and zero tolerance extensively, they pieced together an analytical story that broke the news and added crucial context about the challenge Biden faces to undo Donald Trump’s policies on immigration. https://bit.ly/3jDWny1

Source work reveals push for diversity in climate fight

Kat Stafford and Julio Cortez

worked sources on Stafford’s newly expanded beat to land an exclusive on the launch of a climate justice campaign.
The effort by the group Donors of Color Network would shift millions in funding toward environmental and justice groups led by Black Americans, other people of color and Indigenous people and came on the heels of President Joe Biden pledging to make environmental justice central to the fight against climate change.
Stafford, AP investigative race writer, brought the story to life by taking readers on a tour of neighborhoods in Detroit’s 48217 ZIP code, where residents live against the backdrop of heavy industrial sites that have long been a major concern in the nation’s largest Black-majority city. Baltimore-based photographer Julio Cortez’s photos of Donors of Color co-founder Ashindi Maxton, the story’s lead character, rounded out the package. https://bit.ly/3d4zfaP

Dolly Parton tells AP she’s waiting to get her vaccination

Mesfin Fekadu

scored an exclusive interview with Dolly Parton who announced her new Super Bowl commercial.
During the interview, Fekadu asked if she had gotten her Covid-19 vaccine, and Parton, who donated $1 million to coronavirus research, said she was waiting to get her vaccination shot because she didn’t want to seem like she was “jumping the line,” a story that was picked up by the “Today” show, WebMD, People magazine, Yahoo! and many more. She rocked the commercial too. https://bit.ly/3d3E6Jk

Best of the Week — First Winner

Feb. 12, 2021

AP delivers powerful multiformat coverage of fast-moving Myanmar coup

Featured Honorable Mention

AP: Catholic Church, sitting on billions, amassed PPP aid

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