A man with a knife in Sydney kills six people. Hours later, two clerics at a church in the same city are stabbed. In each case, AP was right there to tell the world even as events were still unfolding.
More than ever, AP’s strongest performances come from collaboration across geographies — a combination of people on the ground reporting as events unfold, and their colleagues elsewhere making sure the news gets out in a fast and comprehensive manner. The coverage of back-to-back stabbing attacks in Australia — driven by smart journalism in Sydney and staffers across Asia — is a textbook example of such teamwork.
As soon as word came of the first attack at a busy Sydney mall on a quiet Saturday, photographer Rick Rycroft rushed to the scene, taking dramatic photos and video that showed weeping parents and children rushing away from the carnage. AP was up with live video at least an hour before Reuters, thanks to senior producer Moussa Moussa quickly turning around local feeds.
The Tokyo-based news director whose region includes Australia, Foster Klug filed news alerts well ahead of AP’s competition and provided continuing urgent updates as officials detailed in live briefings the horror of the attack: A man with a knife had killed six people, five of them women, before being shot by a lone police inspector.
Asia deputy news director for photos and storytelling Yirmiyan Arthur quickly filed Rycroft’s powerful images, giving AP another jump on competitors. Freelance video journalist Albert Lecoanat went up with live video, and reporter Keiran Smith produced stories that looked at the victims, the killer and the courage of the people caught up in the attack.
That wasn’t all, though. For Sydney, more violence was yet to come.
Just 48 hours later, photographer Mark Baker was one of the first photographers on the scene when a 16-year-old boy attacked two clerics at a church in what police said was an act of terrorism. Baker’s photographs, taken as he faced threats of violence and attempts to take his equipment, showed the aftermath of a full-scale riot by furious churchgoers. Reporter Rod McGuirk and Klug handled urgent stories that — once again — put AP ahead of the competition.
The stories and images produced by AP were used and cited by customers across the world, with video and photos appearing prominently on websites in America, Asia and Europe, including Los Angeles Times and MSN. The stories led digital searches in Asia and were among the most viewed in the world. They also were among the top AP stories used by customers on their websites.
For quick response on the ground by smart reporters and regional collaboration across oceans and departments, Rick Rycroft, Moussa Moussa, Albert Lecoanet, Mark Baker, Rod McGuirk, Kieran Smith, Yirmiyan Arthur and Foster Klug are this week’s Best of AP — Second Winner.
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