Best of the AP

Best of the Week - First Winner April 26, 2024

AP exclusive details how ERs are refusing to treat pregnant women after Roe v. Wade was overturned

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In an exclusive based on documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, Washington-based health policy reporter Amanda Seitz reported on complaints that pregnant women were being turned away from emergency rooms in the months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, despite federal law requiring that they be treated.

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act was seen as a safety net to ensure that pregnant women experiencing a medical emergency could get abortions in states where the procedure had been banned. But Seitz set out to find out if it really was. She submitted a FOIA request in February 2023 seeking information about pregnancy-related complaints under the federal law.

After almost a year of waiting, the FOIA office finally agreed to release records but said it would take another four years to get the documents. With a crucial U.S. Supreme Court case pending, Seitz negotiated a limited release of documents in certain states.

In March, she finally got what she was looking for: a rundown of complaints about violations in the months after Roe was overturned in 2022. The documents showed a spike in the number of complaints post-Roe and included horrific accounts of pregnant women receiving improper care. But they left open the question of what penalties ERs were facing for violating the law.

While many other news organizations wrote about the upcoming Supreme Court arguments on the EMTALA law, because of Seitz the AP was alone with the details about the complaints spiking. She is Best of the Week — First Winner.

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Best of the Week - Second Winner April 26, 2024

Teamwork, expertise and planning lead to bright coverage of Olympic flame lighting

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The AP team in Athens went above and beyond across formats to get exclusive access to the behind-the-scenes operation of lighting the Olympic flame, producing excellent work for both traditional and digital clients.

Years of source building and weeks of planning came to a head at the precise moment when the sun’s rays reflected on a cauldron failed to light the Olympic flame that in three months will open the Summer Games in Paris. As rehearsed in case the day would be overcast, organizers made sure to use the flame lit the day before, during a rehearsal. And few noticed the detail. But having covered many previous ceremonies, Athens correspondent Nicholas Paphitis was quick to notice and reflect it in his story. Other competitors missed it and later had to correct their stories.

The moment capped a few days of intense coverage, during which the team in Athens went above and beyond to get exclusive access and innovate with digital storytelling for new audiences.

Video usage was enormous: thousands of hits recorded by Teletrax, including nearly 600 for the main flame lighting moment and more than 100 for the on-camera explainer with reporter Nicholas Paphitis.

For taking a set-piece story and making it new with fresh angles and digitally friendly storytelling, AP’s Athens team earns Best of the Week — Second Winner.

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