for an AP exclusive that unraveled – in real time in a New York restaurant – a dark operation to entrap a cybersecurity watchdog organization. Satter exposed the use of Israeli software to spy on political dissidents around the world, including those close to Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. https://bit.ly/2FZFgVL
overcame a judge’s strict rules for journalists covering Harvey Weinstein’s trial – including a ban on electronic communication from the courtroom, limited seating and no remote access to trial proceedings – to deliver standout coverage of Harvey Weinstein’s New York trial on charges of sexual abuse. AP’s coverage got wide play and frequent citations by news organizations unable to get their own reporter into the room.https://bit.ly/36zXRBnhttps://bit.ly/2uF9f1Dhttps://bit.ly/2Uerk14https://bit.ly/2GyI3Er
New York-based federal law enforcement reporter Jim Mustian never gives up on a story.
Sticking with a case he began covering at another news organization in another state more than two years ago, Mustian landed a jaw-dropping exclusive for the AP: That a trove of hundreds of confidential emails has surfaced allegedly showing executives of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints doing public relations damage control for the area’s Roman Catholic archdiocese amid its clergy sexual abuse crisis.
The story had an immediate, visceral impact with readers and earned praise from fellow journalists.
Mustian will continue to chip away at this story and, hopefully, reveal more about the Saints and their involvement with the church. But for now, Mustian’s sticktoitiveness and tough accountability reporting earns him this week’s Best of the States award.
for his piece on the state of student journalism around the country and how the problems of the newspaper industry are being mirrored on campuses across the country. But after some brutal years, there are signs of life: Enrollment in journalism programs is up. https://bit.ly/32Oyo5o
for acting on a tip from a trusted source to break the news of the death of opera legend Jessye Norman, leading numerous outlets to credit AP and use its obituary. https://bit.ly/2nxPGFi
Amid reports of an opioid settlement, an investigation shows the myriad ways that the Sackler family which owns Purdue Pharma in a web of companies and trusts, many of them overseas.Adam Geller, national writer, New York. Geller reviewed court papers, securities filings and documents leaked from an exclusive Bermuda law firm. He found that the family has shielded its wealth in ways that could complicate efforts to recover the money in opioid settlements.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/familys-web-makes-it-hard-to-track-cash-from-opioid-maker/2019/08/29/80d4f43e-ca99-11e9-9615-8f1a32962e04_story.html
for negotiating an hourlong exclusive window on plans for a prequel novel to “The Hunger Games” trilogy, news that proved popular with fans of the books and film franchise. The one-hour beat meant that many major news outlets had to either run the AP story in its entirety or prominently credit the AP. https://bit.ly/2XgMX2N
for the first interview since Prince’s death with Apollonia Kotero, the Purple One’s former protégé and close friend. Kotero opened up about falling into depression after Prince’s death, and the superstar’s unfulfilled plans to re-launch her career – 30-plus years after she appeared in his “Purple Rain” film and became the lead singer of the group he formed, Apollonia 6. https://bit.ly/2ZkU7Aw
for using his longstanding position as one of the best-connected writers in women’s basketball, obtaining exclusive notice that the WNBA and CBS had reached a deal to put the league on its sports cable channel, a huge victory for the struggling sports league. https://bit.ly/2W4QVIb
for careful planning and quick reaction on verdict day, putting AP ahead of all media with the news that notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was convicted at his closely watched federal drug-trafficking trial. AP was credited with breaking the highly competitive news at outlets around the globe. https://bit.ly/2VhusqD
for examining the extraordinary protests that have erupted in the United States during the last two years, tracing them to longstanding grievances and the growing power of social media. https://bit.ly/2qTWSJn
for the first installment of a multi-part mini-doc series marking the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution: “Revolution in Iran: History Begins Again,” leveraging the creative talent of our journalists to produce content intended to engage the audience and tap new markets. https://bit.ly/2Mug2Aa
for discovering that the Yankees paid pitcher CC Sabathia a $500,000 bonus even though he came up short on pitching the requisite number of innings needed to earn the bonus. Sabathia was ejected from the final regular season game just six outs shy of his target when he hit an opposing batter with a pitch, retaliating for a near miss on a Yankees player. https://bit.ly/2saEXzq
for their quick reaction to a vague advisory about a “John Doe” appearing in court on an unspecified charge, putting the AP at an all-formats competitive advantage when Michael Cohen made a surprise guilty plea to lying to Congress.https://bit.ly/2Qm0FhBhttps://bit.ly/2PpG8Ee
for their Health and Science accountability data project that revealed how millions is being spent to fight the opioid crisis. The AP analysis of FOIA records found that states with expanded Medicaid under “Obamacare” spent the funding more slowly than states that didn’t expand the health insurance program because the Medicaid already covers nearly everyone who is poor and needs treatment for addiction. https://bit.ly/2yVcqRm
for exclusive iPhone video of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen making a surprise visit to U.S. District Court a month after his guilty plea on campaign finance violations and other charges. https://bit.ly/2NHR7Nihttps://bit.ly/2xRi4TU
for finding a new angle on the 9/11 anniversary, reporting on people who were so shaken after the 2001 attacks that they decided to move from the New York and Washington areas. They included a man who moved his family to Florida, only to see his children live through the Parkland school shooting. https://bit.ly/2PT14En
for being first to report that the U.S. government's top official overseeing the student loan market was resigning in protest of the White House’s policies toward student loan borrowers. https://bit.ly/2NnWmh3
for a story showing the vast majority of state legislatures said they intended to make changes to sexual harassment policies this year in the wake of the #MeToo movement, but half of the chambers have made no changes yet at all. http://bit.ly/2NtCZ5W http://bit.ly/2NqmYOb
for their investigation that found tenants of a large Kushner Cos. residential building were subject to relentless noise and other disagreeable conditions in an effort to force them out. A lawsuit by 20 of the tenants and a separate state investigation followed the story.https://bit.ly/2NT8fvR