President Donald Trump’s expulsion of three major media outlets from the White House triggered a remarkable team effort to cover the developing story while delivering on comprehensive planned coverage of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington.
Ahead of Xi’s arrival, the Washington team had prepared for weeks to deliver smart analysis, distinctive angles and up-to-the-second spot coverage. Reporters collaborated across Washington, Asia and the business team to build coverage around the biggest issues shaping the visit.
Then came an unexpected challenge: Trump’s media ban. AP stayed on top of this delicate story thanks to collaboration across the Washington, U.S., Top Stories and media reporters and editors, who adapted quickly and got creative.
Video journalists scrambled to find new ways to tell the story visually. Photographers navigated tight security, long waits and unfamiliar shooting positions while still finding distinctive moments beyond the official events. The audio team combined live audio feeds with AP photography on live channels and for edits, an innovative approach used at a scale that hadn’t been attempted before.
The Xi visit became one of AP Video’s most-used stories of the week.
Judges were impressed with how AP reporters and editors led the way with this coverage and made so many consequential decisions, coming up with innovative solutions to problems posed by the logistics and choreography of the media ban.
For outstanding all-formats journalism, adapting on the fly, and finding ways to deliver coverage despite significant obstacles, all AP staff involved with coverage of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit win this week’s Best of the AP — First Winner.
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