As the Paris bureau brainstormed how to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Islamic State attacks in a way that felt both digitally relevant and respectful, reporter Jerome Pugmire proposed a powerful “being there” video. Pugmire, who had witnessed the first explosion that night, returned to the national stadium to recount the events on camera, paired with AP’s award-winning archival imagery.
To deepen the coverage, he tracked down the security guard who stopped the first suicide bomber from entering the stadium — an act that saved countless lives. Working with video journalist Alex Turnbull, Pugmire retraced the guard’s harrowing experience and lingering trauma, bringing forward vivid details like the mere $46 he earned that night.
The team’s video added a fresh, under-remembered dimension to a broader multimedia package that showed not just what happened a decade ago, but how France has changed since — and why it still matters.
Related articles
