With no rainfall for months and hurricane-strength winds forecast, experience told the Southern California staff that they should be prepared for the possibility of destructive wildfires.
The staff’s foresight meant that video journalist Eugene Garcia was able to deliver some of the earliest live visuals of the Palisades Fire, the first in a cascade of images by AP staff that brought the destruction and loss in Los Angeles to a global audience. Strong preparation by photo leaders Marcio Sanchez and Stephanie Mullen also ensured freelance photographers Ethan Swope and Etienne Laurent were first on the scene, capturing visuals of the flames raging and people fleeing while also providing content for reporters Chris Weber, Julie Watson, and Jaimie Ding, who quickly got to work getting developments on the wire. In the following days, Mullen and Sanchez provided round-the-clock support and direction to the growing team of AP photographers tapped for the story.
The telling of this devastating story relied on the full cast of AP staff in Los Angeles, who were also among those impacted by the fires. Entertainment Video News Manager Ryan Pearson jumped into action, including to provide video from his home community of Altadena as another fire sparked. He eventually had to evacuate and kept providing information to the team even as he learned his own home had burned.
In the days that followed, every corner of the U.S. contributed to telling the story from multiple angles, delivering insightful and explanatory coverage to AP audiences. The Race & Ethnicity team combined personal stories with data to showcase how the fires touched diverse communities, not just celebrities. The climate team examined why fire hydrants went dry during critical moments of the firefight, and the religion team highlighted the destruction facing houses of worship.
Los Angeles reporters from News and Entertainment tapped their expertise to ensure AP’s stories captured the scale of the devastation and the sense of foreboding blanketing the city. Reporters from around the country jumped in to profile the fire chief, stitch vignettes of people who fled the flames, and keep AP’s live blog humming with a steady stream of news. Digital colleagues found unique ways to present the incredible visuals flowing in from Nic Coury, Eric Thayer, Jae Hong, John Locher, Richard Vogel, Mark Terrill, Chris Pizzello, Damian Dovarganes, Haven Daley, Manuel Valdes, Krysta Fauria, Rick Taber, and Leslie Ambriz. The scale of the effort allowed AP to offer a stunning array of journalism in digital-friendly formats for AP readers and customers.
The judges were impressed by the dedication of staff in covering this story while also dealing with the personal impacts of it, as well as the scope of the journalism produced. The compelling and active curation of images across so many days is also particularly notable.
This incredible display of AP journalism at its best is this week’s Best of AP — First Winner.
Related articles
