Evan Vucci, the AP’s chief photographer in Washington, captured the defining image of the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Pittsburgh-based photographer Gene Puskar and Ohio political reporter Julie Carr Smyth displayed immense courage and sharp journalistic instincts. The three earn Best of AP for extraordinary performances.
Seconds after rifle shots rang out from the would-be assassin, Vucci rushed from his position in front of the stage closer to the target of the bullets. Puskar kept his composure on the press riser and continued photographing the rapidly unfolding chaos. Carr Smyth kept up a steady stream of measured, factual reporting well into the night.
These three AP journalists at the rally were backed by an entire team at the AP who dove in and delivered fast, accurate and compelling journalism throughout the weekend, including breaking multiple scoops on the investigation.
It was truly an all-hands-on-deck moment where the AP shined. But Vucci, Puskar and Carr Smyth’s first-hand reporting and stellar images and incredible journalism amid the chaos are what made the AP’s coverage stand apart.
Vucci’s first few frames of Trump pushing up through the hold of Secret Service agents to hold up his raised fist reached global digital publications faster than any photo from other news outlets and have been published by news outlets around the globe tens of thousands of times since Saturday. The triangular composition with the U.S. flag above Trump’s bloodied face set Vucci’s photo apart. It quickly led almost every major news site around the world.
“At the moment I heard the shots being fired, I knew that this was a moment in American history that had to be documented,” said Vucci, who recounted his experience in an AP video. “It’s our job as journalists to do this work.”
Superb teamwork ensured the image’s place in front of a global audience and in U.S. photographic history.
Stephanie Mullen led the rapid editing response and the photo story through the weekend, communicating constantly across format teams. Editor Jackie Larma curated top photos — a critical role that increases customer usage. Washington photo editor Jon Elswick worked swiftly to edit Vucci’s photos, and Washington photo editor Paula Muñoz stepped in after her shift had ended to focus on Puskar’s photos. Editors Courtney Dittmar and Andy Bao stacked sequences of photos to accompany AP stories and curated photos for the top stories on the AP News homepage to increase reader engagement. Photographer Sue Ogrocki moved fast to back up her colleagues.
Meanwhile, Carr Smyth alerted colleagues in text that shots had been fired. U.S. politics editor Nomaan Merchant jumped into action and quickly filed several APNewsAlerts from Carr Smyth’s reporting, what he could see on the live feed — and what he saw from Vucci’s photos. Washington text editor Hope Yen filed the initial alerts and urgents, and national politics reporter Jill Colvin quickly wove the story together for more than three dozen writethrus.
In video, multiple video crews started editing video moments after the news broke. Diego Medrano, Guillermo Gonzalez were the first video journalists to get content out soon after the shooting. Mike Pesoli and Derek Karikari continued to provide edits throughout the night, that included editing debriefs from Vucci and Carr Smyth.
Dozens of other AP staff jumped in from Washington, the U.S. and beyond to help through the weekend including several reporters who broke key details on the investigation into what happened. It was a true team effort across the AP.
Puskar, Carr Smyth and Vucci deserve highest accolades for their stunning contributions to AP’s coverage of the assassination attempt, and Vucci for capturing the defining image of Trump, fist raised, at a critical moment in U.S. history. Collectively, they earn this week’s Best of AP — First Winner.
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