Fast, flawless and comprehensive reporting after it was announced that Vladimir Putin was seeking another term as Russian president.
Impeccable planning down to the last detail meant that when Putin made his announcement on a Friday that he was running for a fifth term as president, AP had an alert and urgent series, followed by a strong, comprehensive writethru to roll out immediately, along with expert comment and analysis and photos. AP was first to break the news with a fast mobile push to follow. A Putin timeline was pushed out with an accompanying set of photos, and a prepared digital promotion plan unfurled.
For weeks in advance, Moscow reporters based in Tallin had been working closely with top story desk editor Brian Friedman to prepare for the announcement, putting in place an elaborate plan that included a news alert, spot story, timeline and several enterprise pieces to be published once the news was out. Photo and video plans were put in place.
Video was quick to roll out already prepped edits — a Putin profile and opposition — when the wire dropped. The team on the ground was quick to get reaction in Moscow by Volodya Kondrashov and Anatoly Kozlov. Over the next three days, pre-edited follows rolled out: A piece by Volodya Isachenkov looking at the main challenges facing Putin as he seeks another term in office and a great analysis of the opposition and their hopes to act as spoiler during the election, written by Dasha Litvinova. Over the weekend, Kostya Manenkov set up an interview in Moscow with an opposition figure who’s hoping to get her name on the ballot. A cross-format effort by VJ Kirill Zarubin, photographer Sasha Zemlianichenko and Joanna Kozlovska produced an interesting and competitive profile of Yekaterina Duntsova.
Staffers in the effort included Litvinova, Isachenkov, Emma Burrows, Jim Heintz and Kozlowska for text; Tanya Titova, Manenkov, Anna Frants, Olga Tregubova, Zarubin, Kondrashov and Kozlov in video; and Zemlianichenko and Dmitry Lovetsky for photos, with overall editorial guidance from Friedman in New York.