for an exclusive look at a contractor operating in Iraq with alarming security violations and ethical lapses, based on interviews with former employees and documents. http://apne.ws/2q6CT9v
for raising questions about discrepancies in Democratic U.S. House candidate Rob Quist’s financial disclosures that forced him to amend those filings to declare another $57,000 in income. http://apne.ws/2ptqs9r
for capturing how President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and rhetoric are leaving some Mexican-Americans and immigrants feeling at odds with a holiday they already thought was appropriated by liquor companies, event promoters and bars. http://apne.ws/2pE3Xyh
for breaking the news that Iraq and the U.S. are in talks over keeping American troops in Iraq for the long term after the Islamic State group is defeated. http://apne.ws/2p9DuW3
for being first to report the death of U.S. Olympic bobsled champion Steven Holcomb, as well as first to report foul play was not suspected. http://abcn.ws/2q45kXQ
for breaking the news that five Boko Haram commanders were exchanged for the release of 82 kidnapped Chibok girls, the first word of Nigeria’s government making a swap to free any of the 276 girls seized in a mass abduction three years ago. http://n.pr/2qUtHrI
for using data to show that despite millions spent to address pollution in the Indian River Lagoon in Florida, algae levels tripled and phosphorus from farms and urban development runoff spiked 75 percent since 2000. http://apne.ws/2qsJmi8
for breaking the news that a deal was in the works to revive the Republican health care bill in the House that lawmakers would pass by a razor-thin margin two days later. http://on.freep.com/2qsRFur
for using their contacts with candidate Emmanuel Macron’s campaign to ensure that AP was chosen for the first time to be the main provider of facilities for international broadcasters at a major news event in Europe.
for an exclusive interview with the last survivor of the Hindenburg disaster ahead of the 80th anniversary of the tragedy. http://apne.ws/2qUeszf
for getting an interview with Marine Le Pen, the French presidential candidate, hours before candidates had to stop making public statements. http://abcn.ws/2pAvdLQ
for exclusively reporting the latest updates in the military's investigation into the nude photo-sharing scandal at a rare visit to the base at Quantico. http://apne.ws/2q4aaUG
for confirming that there was no cause for concern around a meeting for Buckingham Palace staff, meaning it was unlikely the queen or Prince Philip was dead or severely ill. http://apne.ws/2r1cb1j
The email to AP confided: “Up until reading your article I believed that my daughter's assault was an anomaly. It's not something that is talked about. School officials must take immediate and proactive steps to protect students from being assaulted on school grounds. The first step is to bring it out in the open.”
The anguished mother was responding to the first installment of an Associated Press series running through May exploring the untold story of student-on-student sexual assaults, not on college campuses but in U.S. elementary and secondary schools. The result of a yearlong investigation, the expose by Emily Schmall, Reese Dunklin, Robin McDowell and Justin Pritchard earns the Beat of the Week.
When Baltimore Orioles' outfielder Adam Jones was the target of racial slurs at Fenway Park, the story resonated beyond sports, and required reporting that provided deeper context and meaning.
Philadelphia reporter Errin Whack has written previously about the intersection of sports, culture and race as a member of AP's Race & Ethnicity reporting team. She was tasked with explaining why Boston is perceived, particularly among blacks, as a racist sports town – a perception that also is challenged by many others as unfair and outdated. She had to figure out a way to plainly and objectively lay out for readers where this perception came from, and the lasting effect it has on both the city and its sports teams.
And she had to get this done on a tight deadline. For her timely, layered look at this racially-charged issue, Whack receives this week's Best of States award.
for breaking the news that a deal was reached on a $1 trillion spending bill to fund the government and describing what would and would not be in the legislation. http://detne.ws/2qIXjES
for a strong package of stories about the 20th anniversary of Ellen Degeneres’ coming out, including the only print interview with the star herself. http://bit.ly/2p13ZBW
for their joint analysis with the media analytics company Cortico that showed declining engagement with President Donald Trump’s tweets across ages, genders and political affiliations. http://apne.ws/2pKNM2K
for showing that Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens failed to report that his campaign obtained a donor list from a charity he had founded to help military veterans. Greitens was fined as a result of the story. http://apne.ws/2pL697T
for her exclusive interview with Aretha Franklin, in which the Queen of Soul vented her frustrations with former friend Dionne Warwick. http://apne.ws/2q2D0G4