Source work, planning help AP dominate coverage of the United Auto Workers strike

By Tom Krisher, Mike Householder, Paul Sancya and Corey Williams

Strong source work by auto writer Tom Krisher and planning by the Detroit team of Krisher, video journalist Mike Householder, photographer Paul Sancya, reporter Corey Williams and Great Lakes Assistant News Director Roger Schneider put AP in a position to dominate coverage of the United Auto Workers strike.  

Krisher has long cultivated sources in the United Auto Workers union. So, when negotiations started under their combative new president this summer, he stayed on top of every development, researching and working sources. Krisher got the news that the union would target only a handful of plants rather than going on strike at all GM, Stellantis and Ford plants in the U.S. ahead of almost every news organization, and worked with Householder, Sancya, Williams and Schneider to figure out the best places to deploy.  

The spot coverage Friday night combined with the weekend enterprise got more than a half million views on AP News, with strong visuals and color from two of the three plants where workers were striking.