Huizhong Wu and Johnson Lai stood out amid competition with comprehensive coverage of disruptions to the lives of residents in a remote Taiwan-ruled island. Situated less than 20 miles off the coast of mainland China, the residents were left stranded without internet for over a month after submarine internet cables were cut off.
Wu and Lai’s story included previously unknown details on how the cables were suspected to have been cut by Chinese vessels. Although there remains no direct evidence Chinese vessels did this intentionally, their reporting took a close look at the residents whose livelihoods are complicated by geopolitical tension.
The reporters spent two days speaking with residents in Nangan, Matsu. Their meticulous work included previously unreported details on why Taiwan authorities suspected the cables may have been cut by Chinese vessels.
While the Wall Street Journal came out with a story a day before the AP, the package from Wu and Lai was more comprehensive: self-covered photos, exclusive video, map graphics, and a dateline from Matsu. Text, video and images from the package were picked up by Los Angeles Times, DW, PBS and others.