Thanks to teamwork across multiple departments and formats, AP
dominated coverage of a tragic school shooting in Perry, Iowa, by being the
first with photos from the scene, the first to have interviews with students,
and the only media outlet to secure an interview with the mother of the
11-year-old victim, as well as exclusive photos of him.
Administrative Correspondent Scott McFetridge confirmed that a
shooting happened and got out the first of multiple news alerts that day.
McFetridge, Des Moines photographer Charlie Neibergall and Kansas City video
journalist Nick Ingram then all raced to report from the ground. Washington,
D.C., photographer Andrew Harnik was the first news photographer there.
Riccardi found a mother who was still looking for her child — that mother would
turn out to be the mom of the 11-year-old who died, and the relationship he
established with her later led to an exclusive interview and precious handout
photos of the boy. Riccardi also found friends of the shooter who said he had
been bullied — a detail that other outlets had to credit AP with for days.
Neibergall went to a family reunification site and got poignant photos of
children being reunited with their parents.
The initial story had more than 1 million page views from Thursday
into the weekend. Harnik’s photos received top play in several Iowa papers.
Ingram’s live video from the news conference has received more than 84,000
views on AP’s YouTube channel. The exclusive photos of the boy who died and
interview with the mother were in high demand from local TV stations and other
media.
Submission Links
https://bit.ly/3RXZd2uRelated articles
