Sports Writer Andrew Dampf began laying the groundwork for this story more than a year ago, reaching out not only to Winter Olympics organizers but also to the government agency overseeing infrastructure for the Games. That early access proved essential when, last summer, Dampf spotted social media posts showing mobile homes being hauled into the scenic valley near Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Recognizing the potential for a compelling visual story, he pushed for access and persuaded officials to allow the AP a rare on-site visit just as construction wrapped in late November.
Rome-based photographer Andrew Medichini and London-based SNTV video journalist Neil Barker joined Dampf for the reporting trip, and the trio delivered an exclusive, all-formats presentation of the snow-covered mobile units that will host the first athletes arriving in January.
Judges praised the team for securing exclusive access and positioning AP ahead of Olympic coverage. Their reporting was widely picked up by customers, including Italy’s rights-holding public service broadcaster — a testament to AP and SNTV’s effective cross-format collaboration.
For cross-format teamwork, stretching across AP and SNTV, gaining exclusive access to an Olympic venue and creating widely used content, Dampf, Medichini and Barker are this week’s Best of AP – Second Winner.
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