for pursuing the story that an Iranian airline backed by the Revolutionary Guard was flying into Europe and Asia in violation of US terror sanctions. http://apne.ws/2eE79SG
continuing her close coverage of developments in the military's ongoing effort to combat sexual misconduct, for being first to report military academy sex assaults rising. https://apnews.com/b1cc781c1d4f48c698150…
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 seafood processed by North Koreans working in China is making its way to the U.S., Canada and the EU, and that most of the money goes back to the North Korean government. http://bit.ly/2wxL6WM
for an all-formats story showing how an influx of educated Asian immigrants is transforming the nation in ways largely ignored by today’s heated political rhetoric. The story, part of the Divided America series, punctured myths about U.S. immigration. Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed a sidebar explaining a crucial but often overlooked fact in the immigration debate: An estimated 40 percent of the 11 million people in the U.S. illegally overstayed visas. http://apne.ws/2e1Hx3K
for disclosing that a critical and costly operation in the fight against the Islamic State group is beset with incompetence, cronyism and flawed data. http://apne.ws/2kQB4df
for her exclusive story about how the U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican Navy were going after drug smugglers on the high seas – even as the two countries' governments sparred on trade and immigration. https://bit.ly/2q9kvNU
for determining that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo broke a federal law protecting eagles when he picked up a feather during a canoe trip and kept it. https://bit.ly/2nGiwzC
for following up after President Donald Trump’s executive order asking federal agencies to seek citizenship information when the U.S. Supreme Court said the question couldn't be included in the 2020 Census. Schneider learned something the Census Bureau wasn’t eager to reveal – that they were in the process of asking motor vehicle divisions in all 50 states to provide information from driver’s license data, including citizenship status. https://bit.ly/32KWOO3
Thanks to years of covering Olympic sports, AP has long been a sounding board to many in the Olympic movement.Read more
for getting the news out of North Korea’s attack on U.S. negotiators, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, ahead of the competition. https://bit.ly/2ubIa2R
for mining an exclusive data set to reveal – just as heavy rains and flooding in the Southeast put several dams on the brink of failure – that hundreds of dams in the region lack required emergency action plans to help authorities and downstream residents respond to the threat. https://bit.ly/2T1x3Gx
for breaking the news that U.S. officials had accused New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and his police security detail of violating both US and Mexican law by crossing the border on foot during a visit near El Paso, Texas. https://bit.ly/2L7vq8a
for being first to report that Yale University had reached a $3 million settlement with the family of a graduate student, who was slain inside a research lab just days before her planned wedding in 2009.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/de084c9260a04d1b828...
When BuzzFeed broke the news that the longest-serving current U.S. House member had settled a sexual harassment complaint, one notable thing missing was comment from U.S. Rep. John Conyers himself. The 88-year-old Conyers rarely gives interviews anymore, deferring to his staff to issue statements or simply not responding.
Congress was on Thanksgiving break, but News Editor Roger Schneider suggested that video journalist Mike Householder and reporter Corey Williams drop by Conyers’ Detroit home. They knew it was a long shot – Corey and Mike had been to Conyers’ house before, and knew it was gated.
To their surprise, Conyers answered their ring.
Conyers answered a few questions, giving Williams and Householder a major beat: He denied settling sexual harassment claims and other allegations of inappropriate touching of staffers.
For aggressive reporting that paid off with an exclusive on one of the week’s top stories, Williams and Householder share this week’s Best of the States prize.
How best to capture the story of recovering opioid users?
Chicago-based medical writer Lindsey Tanner and Atlanta-based photographer/videographer David Goldman teamed up to produce an intimate look at a diverse group of people – among them, a lawyer, a businessman and a trucker – who got caught up in the worst opioid epidemic in U.S. history.
Their illuminating package – combining Tanner's powerful text and Goldman's photos with a haunting mini-documentary – earns the Beat of the Week.
for breaking the news that after 35 years in Congress from Michigan, U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, a Democrat who chaired the House Ways and Means Committee during passage of the Affordable Care Act, would not seek re-election. http://bit.ly/2iIGOqs
for scoring an APNewsBreak on one of the most important details of how Olympic leaders in the United States are handling sexual abuse cases, finding that $2.2 million in key federal funds could not be used for the most pressing need of investigating any cases, with a backlog of more than 800 to be resolved. https://bit.ly/2TbqAqE
Washington-based photojournalist Pat Semansky was assigned weekend White House duty – a routine gig that meant waiting for President Donald Trump’s overnight return from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where his much-hyped rally didn’t meet expectations.
The president’s arrival rarely makes a memorable photo, but Semansky dutifully waited until well after 1 a.m., while many of AP’s competitors didn’t bother to cover. When Trump finally stepped off Marine One, Semansky proved the time well spent: His flash caught an atypically rumpled Trump crossing the South Lawn.
The photo quickly became the signature image of the night, capping days of smart AP coverage on the event itself.
For making the most of a routine assignment to create what is likely to become an iconic photo of the Trump presidency, Pat Semansky wins AP’s Best of the Week award.
scored huge play with print, online and video customers with a deeply reported, all-formats examination of the crash of the U.S. West Coast’s legal marijuana industry in the absence of federal legalization. Read more.
