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Deep source building combines with all-format reporting on a trendy topic to create a news-driven ‘talker’ about new postal trucks

The U.S. Postal Service's next-generation delivery vehicle is displayed at the Kokomo Sorting and Delivery Center in Kokomo, Ind., Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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David Sharp has volunteered for the U.S. Postal Service beat, regularly talking with the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, in late-night interviews. He gets tips and stories others don’t have access to. When the agency told Sharp they were ready to roll out their new vehicles, finally equipped with basics like anti-lock brakes and air conditioning, he knew he had to lock it in. And he did. AP got the exclusive first look inside these new duck-billed mail carriers, sparking a newsy talker that lasted throughout the week as the top story. The story was at the top of the global engagement charts on APNews, and was featured widely across the global media landscape, including a segment on the Today Show. It was exclusive and executed in all formats. Sharp has been reporting on mail-in ballots and the fallout around postal concerns heading into the November elections, and this story struck a balance between something we see as universal — mail trucks on the road — with not only a trending national conversation, but also the impact on real-people, the drivers who have for so long operated these outdated vehicles.

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