The AP’s U.N. General Assembly crew met the moment head-on this year with reduced staff but smart thinking and tireless work. The team delivered a digital-audience-friendly package from the 80th session of the UNGA while keeping pace with the huge amount of news that emerged, particularly about U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel, the Palestinians and the nuclear snapback sanctions on Iran.
On APNews alone, the coverage resonated clearly with audiences — conceived from the beginning to dig deeper on an effort that began in 2023 to reframe the UNGA report as more accessible to readers on our platforms and for customers.
Thanks to the core reporting staff of Edie Lederer, Farnoush Amiri and Jennifer Peltz and their intense preparation, AP was quick to produce alerts for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Fast and smart coverage of Trump from Washington was also a highlight. When Trump began talking climate, the Climate team quickly jumped in.
The photo team moved about 1,200 images through the week of every leader who spoke at the General Debate. The video team produced edits focusing on speeches of the most newsworthy world leaders and highlighted key and quirky moments throughout, including Trump’s issues with an escalator and teleprompter ahead of his speech. The social team smartly and quickly jumped on some of the biggest moments, including AP’s own video of dozens of delegates walking out of Netanyahu’s address. AP’s live desk carried and offered gavel-to-gavel coverage of leaders’ speeches.
Throughout, the broader team found ways to feature stories that resonated with audiences beyond the routine moments — including French President Macron getting stopped on the street by traffic and calling Trump on his cellphone, Trump’s escalator and teleprompter escapades, international leaders reacting to Charlie Kirk’s killing, and a lighter piece highlighting the fashion of global delegates. AP also broke a story about a UNGA-adjacent plot to launch a clandestine cellphone network and potentially interrupt communications around the gathering.
UNGA coverage was a global collaborative effort. Stories came in from China to Nigeria, Canada to Jerusalem to Dubai.
Judges noted the willingness to experiment with various storytelling formats and the digital-first approach to coverage planning.
For its comprehensive coverage of a news-heavy global event and ability to tell breakthrough stories that resonated with audiences, the AP’s UNGA team wins Best of the Week — First Winner.
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