Planning and subject expertise allowed AP to dominate coverage of a monumental US Supreme Court case

MARK SHERMAN AND NICHOLAS RICCARDI

The expertise of AP’s team and detailed advanced planning allowed the AP to dominate coverage of oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case to determine whether Donald Trump can remain on the ballot.

A plan across all formats produced a fast, responsive report that gave AP’s readers a 360-degree view of the monumental case. The expertise of Supreme Court reporter Mark Sherman and fast filing of Washington desk editor Tom Strong allowed AP to be the first to alert and produce a full story capturing the scepticism of the justices that states had the right to remove a presidential candidate from their ballot. Sherman was joined at the court by democracy team reporter Nicholas Riccardi, who produced a lively and insightful in-the-moment blog as arguments were unfolding, incorporating his own assessment exchanges in the court while weaving in color and reaction from reporters in the field.

AP’s livestream provided five hours of continuous coverage while Sherman and reporter Lindsay Whitehurst did on-camera interviews. Audio, photos and a sketch artist who provided inside-the-courtroom images rounded out the coverage.

The stakes couldn’t have been higher, and AP’s coverage met the moment, deeply engaging its audience on all platforms.