AP staff in and around Washington were already grappling with a historic news cycle at the outset of President Donald Trump’s second term when word emerged late on the evening of Jan. 29 that an aircraft was down near Washington Reagan National Airport.
Though the magnitude of the accident wasn’t immediately clear, AP journalists from all formats quickly pivoted their attention to the unfolding tragedy. Video and photo teams mobilized to get in position in and around the airport and along the Potomac River—no small task given the massive emergency response that complicated travel in the area.
The first AP News Alert moved at 9:26 p.m., with the first take of a text story publishing less than three minutes later.
AP’s coverage intensified throughout the night. A video team was deployed to Wichita, Kansas, when it became clear that the commercial flight involved in the crash originated there. AP produced urgent coverage across formats well into the next morning, providing live shots and images in an extraordinarily challenging environment.
Beyond breaking news coverage, AP produced graphics visualizing how the collision unfolded and delivered fast investigative and enterprise reporting. That included a story examining the congested airspace that has long plagued the area around National Airport and coverage of the crash’s impact on the ice skating community.
AP was live from an ice rink in Boston, where some of the victims were from, capturing emotional reactions from members and securing access for follow-up coverage in the days ahead.
This coverage would not have been possible without the collaboration of AP journalists from the Washington bureau, U.S. News, Sports, Investigative, photo, and video teams. It’s a testament to what AP can achieve when teams unite to deliver for customers and digital audiences.
The judges were impressed with the overall speed of AP’s response and the massive collaboration among teams.
For their work on a major breaking story across formats and extensive reporting, staff from the Washington and U.S. News teams win this week’s Best of AP — First Winner.
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