for an all-formats, multi-language story on advocates warning young illegal immigrants not to be out of the country when Donald Trump is sworn in as president for fear they may not be allowed back in. http://wapo.st/2gxFWBu
for breaking the news that President-elect Donald Trump had quietly shut down some of his companies in the days after the election, including four that appeared connected to a Saudi Arabia business venture. http://on.wsj.com/2gX6IUP
for breaking the news that actor Leonardo DiCaprio and the head of his foundation met with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss how jobs centered on preserving the environment can boost the economy. http://apne.ws/2gWUOKy
for using military sourcing to obtain exclusive access to a Navy ship, and winning several press access fights for all-formats coverage of the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. http://apne.ws/2hq7IUY
for reporting that the cost of California's project to modernize its prison medical records system has ballooned to nearly $400 million and is years behind schedule. http://abcn.ws/2hqvFZU
for being first to report the death toll of 160 in a church collapse and bring dramatic scenes of the tragedy to the world. http://nyti.ms/2gXgvdp
for being minutes ahead of other international news organizations with word that South Korea's president had been impeached, then following up with contextual stories no other agency had. http://bit.ly/2hsmzeG
for being first to gain access to a retreat for former neo-Nazis, and interviewing two members on camera using their full names. http://apne.ws/2gxJRxW
for breaking the story of former football coach Art Briles filing a libel and conspiracy lawsuit against Baylor, another blow for the Baptist university struggling through a sexual assault scandal. http://bit.ly/2hC6iag
for getting the first live pictures after a bomb exploded inside a chapel next Cairo's main Coptic Orthodox Cathedral. http://bit.ly/2hqh0Ag
for being first to report how pirates are taking over in the coastal state of Sucre, as the fishing industry and many others collapse across Venezuela. https://apnews.com/tag/VenezuelaUndone
for being the only one to report that Beyonce's country song "Daddy Lessons" was blocked from being a contender for a Grammy in the country category _ deep information from the inner-workings of the Recording Academy. http://bit.ly/2hKzPL3
What AP’s Lori Hinnant knew, from a conversation with Beirut bureau chief Zeina Karam early this year, amounted to a fascinating mystery: A series of Syrian villages had been emptied and many of their people taken hostage by the Islamic State group, but now most appeared to be free. It was clear that ransoms were paid, but no one would talk about how it happened.
The hostages were more than 200 Assyrian Christians who were rescued through a fundraising effort among the vanishing people’s global diaspora that brought in millions of dollars. These were the broad outlines of the story that Hinnant’s months of reporting confirmed, but even better were the exclusive details she unearthed _ including IS sending one villager with a ransom note to his bishop, the church dinners and concerts held around the world for donations, and the decision, fraught with ethical qualms and legal risks, to pay a ransom.
Hinnant’s resulting “thriller,” as one admirer called it, is the Beat of the Week.
As soon as the flames were doused on an Oakland, California, warehouse known as the Ghost Ship two things were clear: The death toll would be huge, and telling the story would be complicated. It took a cross-format team effort to tell the story, and the staff in California rose to the occasion, including incoming San Francisco news editor Juliet Williams, who got an early start on her new job, dashing to the bureau from Sacramento to run the story.
All week, AP Baseball Writer Ron Blum knew that a new labor contract between Major League Baseball and its players was close. Each day, he stayed on the phone, talking to both sides, figuring out how far apart they were. Wednesday night, they were close. Then, the call came: They had a deal. “You’re the only person we trust to get it right,” the source told Blum about why he got the story.
Over the next few hours, Blum got more. The terms of the deal began to emerge. New players would not be able to use smokeless tobacco. The league that won the All-Star Game would no longer get home-field advantage in the World Series.
For those scoops — and more — Blum earns the Beat of the Week.
for their cross-format package on Dakota Access pipeline protesters defiantly digging in for the winter, including a 360-degree video of protesters holding a water ceremony, photo galleries, satellite images and text.
Text: http://apne.ws/2h3nsKj
Video: http://apne.ws/2gUACMo
for their efforts in gaining exclusive access to some of the affected areas and shooting compelling video that captured the physical damage and the personal devastation of the Gatlinburg fires. New York-based Nathan Griffiths produced a 360 video, and Eric Schelzig shot aerial photos while on a flyover tour with the governor. https://apnews.com/b1b36cc743444b3b87a4e646fd1371a8
for aggressive all-formats coverage of the plane crash that killed 71 people, including members of a Brazilian soccer team. The team worked in three nations, getting vivid photos and video of the wreckage in Colombia, unearthing detail on the plane’s owner and fuel capacity in Bolivia, and videotaping interviews of the families of the dead in Brazil. http://wapo.st/2hhrCBW
for telling the story on Penn State’s ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ with a video that became the top download of the year for AP Video US.
Text: http://wapo.st/2haE0n0
Video: http://apne.ws/2hhhlWc
for quick reporting across continents on the death of the inventor of General Tso's Chicken, a 98-year-old chef who lived in Taiwan and hadn't spent time in New York in nearly three decades. http://bit.ly/2h3z1kI