Tom Hays, reporter, New York, for careful advance planning and quick reactions on verdict day, putting AP ahead of all media with the news that notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was convicted at his closely watched federal drug-trafficking trial. The second he heard the word “guilty,” Hays ran out to dictate the news that triggered a simple alert: “NEW YORK (AP) — Notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman convicted in U.S. trial.” It was part of a plan worked out in advance to get the first word out fast and leave the other details for later. AP was credited with breaking the highly competitive news at outlets around the globe.