for reporting exclusively that corrections officials who investigated the April escape of two violent patients from Washington state's largest psychiatric hospital discovered a list of mistakes, blunders and deceptions at what should be a secure facility. http://apne.ws/2de0u60
John Flesher, correspondent, Traverse City, Mich., and Brady McCombs, correspondent, Salt Lake City, for their work discovering a nationwide flurry of stopgap efforts by nonprofit groups, state agencies and businesses to protect national parks from an onslaught of litter and other damage as the federal government shutdown left most open. https://bit.ly/2TJKUPz
for breaking the news that the Trump administration considered a proposal to mobilize the National Guard to arrest and deport millions of unauthorized immigrants in 11 states, from Oregon to Louisiana â far from the Mexico border. Story: http://apne.ws/2lriwnf Document: http://bit.ly/2kS7TXC
for documenting turmoil within the White House and the Department of Homeland Security as President Donald Trump grasps for ever-stronger steps to curb illegal immigration. https://bit.ly/2VuOsGI
After five years exposing the struggles of the U.S. Air Forceâs nuclear missile corps â security lapses, leadership and training failures, morale problems â Bob Burns uncovered an exclusive that was mind-blowing in every sense of the word: Airmen guarding a base in Wyoming had bought, distributed and used LSD.
Burns, a Washington-based national security writer, knew from his previous reporting on the missile corps that illegal drug use was a recurring problem and that the Air Force was reluctant to discuss it.
When the court martial proceedings began in 2016 he started filing FOIA requests for the transcripts and supporting legal documents. It took the Air Force well over a year to finish responding to Burnsâ requests, but by January 2018 he had the bulk of the records he needed to piece together the story, including trial transcripts and related documents, with descriptions of drug experiences of airmen, ranging from panic to euphoria.
For his extraordinary revelation that some of the nationâs most deadly weapons were in the hands of hallucinating airmen, Burns takes this week's Beat of the Week award.
for breaking the latest fallout from a scandal involving sexual harassment and other misconduct around the National Parks Service: Disciplinary action would be taken against 10 people at Yellowstone National Park. http://bit.ly/2wsYfzX http://wapo.st/2ffQPwF
teamed up two months ago on coverage of an expected Social Security cost-of-living increase. In the current economic climate, they anticipated â correctly â the story would have strong audience appeal and would require a range of user-friendly explanatory journalism that would also capture the circumstances and voices of people across the U.S.The result was a week of in-depth all-formats coverage on the jump in benefits. From an overview of how Social Security works to the potential impact on inflation and the midterm elections to on-camera interviews with recipients, the AP team explored and explained the benefits boost from all angles.Read more
for an AP survey of all 50 states that revealed that very few state systems had an election security review from the Department of Homeland Security, even though many have asked for it amid concerns about Russian meddling in this yearâs election. http://bit.ly/2rmi8b4
teamed up with PBS âFrontlineâ on a deeply reported all-formats investigative package revealing how retired lieutenant general and former national security adviser Michael Flynn has used public appearances, endorsements and a network of well-funded groups to build a movement centered on Christian nationalist ideas.Smith spoke with more than 60 people, from Flynnâs family and friends to his opponents, examined dozens of Flynnâs speeches, interviews and other appearances, reviewed campaign finance records, corporate and charity filings, social media posts, as well as attending Flynn events. She also landed a rare interview with the retired three-star general â the footage edited by AP investigative video journalist Roosblad â and spent two days reporting on the ReAwaken America tour in upstate New York, along with photographer Kaster and a âFrontlineâ crew.The joint AP/âFrontlineâ reporting found Flynn deliberately and systematically driving a far-right political narrative with the goal of influencing elections this year and beyond.Read more
for getting the first word on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's recommendations on the fates of two dozen federally protected land and ocean sites under review at the request of President Trump. Zinke told AP he will not rescind their status as national monuments but may allow other changes. http://bit.ly/2w2K0Ey
for showing how the security industry has leveraged the Parkland shooting to resurrect sputtering plans to ship hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars toward unproven safety technology. https://bit.ly/2A56fvS
reported exclusively on how Nuctech, a Chinese company with links to the military and government, has made major inroads in the market for security scanners in Europe. That raises concerns that China could exploit the equipment to sabotage key transit points or get illicit access to data.Because there is so little transparency about where Nuctech equipment has been purchased â and the company refused to confirm or deny information about its customers â the story required a lot of legwork.Kinetz, Brussels-based investigative reporter, received leaked internal communications from a competitor of Nuctech and scoured public procurement databases â which donât provide comprehensive information â as well as parliamentary testimony in multiple languages for clues about where the equipment had been sold.AP reporters across Europe reached out to airport and customs authorities and dug into national databases to try to get a record of Nuctech purchases. Kinetz also received exclusive analysis about Nuctechâs ownership structure from a Dutch data company. The story generated interest in Europe, and member of the European Parliament reached out for more detail on APâs reporting about how European Union funds contributed to Nuctech bids. https://aplink.news/e3e
The on-the-record accounts from two census workers were stunning: Under pressure from supervisors amid the Trump administrationâs push to bring the census to an end, they were encouraged to falsify records in the 2020 headcount.
Whom did they reveal this to? Not surprisingly, they spoke to Mike Schneider, APâs authority on the census, who leveraged months of source development and reporting to break the story. Posted just an hour before the presidential race was called for former Vice President Joe Biden, the story still broke through with strong play and reader engagement.
For keeping the AP ahead in a critical coverage area with a terrific scoop, Schneider wins this weekâs Best of the States award.
were out front with widespread coverage as many national parks insisted on remaining open during the COVID-19 pandemic, triggering health concerns in neighboring towns. Seattle photographer Ted Warren showed visitors enjoying Mount Rainier National Park, and while some parks closed, others remained open with entrance fees waived by the Trump administration and promised federal guidelines still in limbo.https://bit.ly/2UCB1Xbhttps://bit.ly/2xFR3qa
for the first account of how the federal government has allowed four groups at the forefront of the white nationalist movement to raise more than $7.8 million in tax-deductible donations through tax-exempt charities recognized by the IRS. http://apne.ws/2jcK77p
Environmental Protection Administrator Scott Pruittâs lavish spending and deep concerns about security had put his future in the Trump Cabinet in jeopardy. But what was the cost to taxpayers?
AP beat reporter Michael Biesecker, whose aggressive coverage of Pruitt began more than a year ago when Trump nominated him for the EPA post, began working sources still at the agency and those who had left in search of the answer. His findings â that Pruitt spent about a whopping $3 million on security in the first year â win the Beat of the Week award.
for getting hold of a report from the Department of Homeland Securityâs intelligence arm that concluded citizenship was an inadequate indicator to use for a travel ban to keep out people who may pose a threat of violent attacks. http://trib.in/2kVAsaO
Michael Flynnâs ReAwaken America cross-country tour has attracted lots of media attention, but journalists trying to cover it have faced a hostile environment. So correspondent Michelle Smith and photographer Carolyn Kaster simply bought tickets to the tourâs stop in upstate New York.
The decision to go as attendees made all the difference: The two were fully engaged in Flynnâs world for two days, documenting an event at the heart of an ascendent Christian nationalist movement. And Washington colleague Richard Lardner added more reporting as he monitored the event on livestream.
The trioâs story, part of an AP investigation in partnership with PBS âFrontline,â detailed how Flynn and allies are using ReAwaken America to spread divisive rhetoric and conspiracy theories targeting democratic ideas and institutions while urging people to join and take action. The compelling all-formats coverage has won strong play and readership.For an up-close, insightful package on a far-right movement spearheaded by a former general close to Donald Trump, Smith, Kaster and Lardner earn APâs Best of the Week â First Winner honors.
turned state-wire fodder into a great national read about the other side of the well-known âFlorida Manâ trope: the eccentric and brazenly self-promoting sheriffs the Sunshine Stateâs suspects come up against.With colorful accounts of the sheriffsâ bold social media presence, game shows highlighting fugitives and over-the-top news conferences, Frisaro and Anderson framed their story as the struggle between these sheriffs and the âoddball miscreantsâ who populate Floridaâs police blotters and local news.Read more
On the news-heavy weekend between impeachment and inauguration, Lolita Baldor broke a story that became the dominant item for news organizations across platforms: Top military officials feared insider attacks from National Guardsmen activated to protect the inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all 25,000 troops sent to the city.
And officials werenât whispering their concerns anonymously; Baldor quoted the Secretary of the Army, Ryan McCarthy. That was no fluke; Baldor has built trust with McCarthy and other top officials at the Pentagon. The Army granted her exclusive, off-the-record access to an inaugural planning session, then arranged on-the-record interviews with a number of leaders.
Baldorâs scoop immediately lit up social media and was picked up by some 330 news outlets, including networks and major publications.
For impressive source work that produced a major scoop in the intensive buildup to the inauguration, Baldor wins APâs Best of the Week award.
