During one particularly bad fire season in the Amazon, as thousands of square miles of rainforest were being leveled so people around the world could eat more beef, the AP Health & Science team decided to step back and tell the larger story of the impact our food choices have on the environment — and what some people are doing about it.
After a pandemic-related delay, the AP Health & Science team enlisted a total of 55 AP journalists from 13 different AP departments to show how farmers, researchers and scientists are trying to make sure we can continue to enjoy the food we love without destroying the planet we need.
To learn about the problem and some potential solutions, the team began pursuing a group of stories that aimed to show a selection of possible solutions, from high-tech lab-grown meat to nomadic pastoralism.
Because food is so central to culture, the team aimed to tell stories from across the globe with journalists roaming everywhere — from the plains of Mongolia to a fly factory in France.
Developers and designers Linda Gorman, Koko Nakajima and Peter Hamlin built out a stunning immersive experience that allows the reader a host of different options including videos, photo galleries, data visualizations and even a quiz.
Photographers, videographers, text journalists and data journalists from the Health & Science team and several other global beats and regional teams contributed, including David Goldman, Shelby Lum, Kathy Young, Laura Ungar, Christina Larson and Nicky Forster. A full list can be found here.
Kyle Viterbo coordinated with experts on the Digital team and Nerve Center to produce an elaborate cross-platform promotion plan that will continue for the rest of the year.
For extensive collaboration, planning and work that resulted in eight stories and an immersive digital experience for readers on the future of food, this team of over 50 journalists win Best of the Week — First Winner.
Visit AP.org to request a trial subscription to AP's video, photo and text services.
For breaking news, visit apnews.com.
