AP’s team at COP28 dominates coverage with hustle, creativity and preparation

By Peter Dejong, Rafiq Maqbool, Kamran Jebreili Seth Borenstein, Jamey Keaten, Jon Gambrell, Josh Bickel, Lujain Lo, Malak Harb, Bassem Hatoum, David Keyton, Ruochen Zhang and Sibi Arasu

AP’s COP28 team utilized preparation, hustle, regional and climate expertise, and digital-friendly story forms to secure exclusives and beat the competition on the two-week summit’s major news. The key question revolved around how COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber, also an oil executive, could lead a climate conference in the United Arab Emirates focused on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The AP team, sleeping on inflatable mattresses and couches, prepped for the result as al-Jaber immediately called for the eventual end of fossil fuel use at the plenary’s start after all-night negotiations. Climate news editor Dana Beltaji sent the news alert within a minute, beating major competition by 10 minutes. The COP28 team, led by Theodora Tongas, secured exclusives and beats, with video team members capturing reactions from top delegates and photographers gaining access to a special session. AP dominated several stories and beat the competition on spot developments. Overall, AP’s comprehensive, strong, unique and creative coverage helped the world understand what was happening at this crucial point in humanity’s history.