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World video exclusives on the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria, rare reports from inside war-ravaged towns in Syria, offbeat stories from around the globe on the World Cup build up, live broadcasts from Cannes and Ukraine – these were just some of editorial highlights which are featured in this new monthly roundup of the best from AFP.

BOKO HARAM VIDEO EXCLUSIVES

Through the excellent contacts of AFP’ stringer in northern Nigeria, the agency twice obtained videos from the Boko Haram militant group related to the story of the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls many hours before the rest of the media. The story was and remains a top international headline and AFP’ videos were very widely displayed. The videos also gave AFP a text and photo exclusive that saw it widely quoted on breaking news channels and international media. A major competitor sourced the information to us in their stories.

SYRIA MULTIMEDIA REPORTAGE EXCLUSIVES

AFP is one of the very few media organisations in the world to have regular access to government-controlled Syrian territory through its bureau in Damascus and regular missions ex-Beirut. This has become even more important in recent months because the international media has withdrawn from rebel held areas because of the danger of kidnappings. In recent weeks AFP had a series of feature missions to the towns of Homs, Latakia and Tartus which provided us with very original material in text, photo and video. The stories from Homs, which has witnessed massive destruction, were particularly striking and included some memorable images inside the destroyed old market. This material was widely used because of its originality.


SYRIA, HOMS : A woman walks past a burning shop in the Maskuf market in the Old City of Homs, some 162 kilometres north of the capital Damascus, on May 12, 2014.
SYRIA, HOMS : A woman walks past a burning shop in the Maskuf market in the Old City of Homs, some 162 kilometres north of the capital Damascus, on May 12, 2014. ©AFP PHOTO / JOSEPH EID

EXCLUSIVE FEATURE REPORTS FROM VILLAGES IN NORTHERN CAMEROON

Cameroon is rarely a big story, but the fact that AFP has a regular and reliable presence in the country has brought us dividends in the Boko Haram coverage. We did a series of excellent text and photo features from the northern areas where Boko Haram is active which caught the eye of clients around the world including editors who manage the front page of Yahoo.com. This is a good example of the value of AFP’s network around the world, we have maintained a presence in places abandoned or neglected by our competitors.

TURKISH MINE DISASTER PHOTOS

There was extensive and solid coverage of the Turkish mine disaster by AFP in all media, but the extraordinarily vivid photo output of Bulent Kilic really stood out. His work was recognized in a special feature of Time Lightbox series which included an interview with Bulent and praise for his Ukraine and Syria work too.

A father kisses his son who has just been rescued from a mine – photo Bulent Kilic
A father kisses his son who has just been rescued from a mine. ©AFP PHOTO / Bulent Kilic

JEWISH BRUSSELS ATTACK EXCLUSIVES

Through our strong reporting network in France, we broke the arrest of the man who allegedly carried out the deadly attack on Brussels’ Jewish museum. We also obtained the first exclusive photos of him via our police contacts in Lille. Our information was very widely quoted by international breaking news channels.

WORLD CUP GLOBAL FEATURE PRODUCTION

AFP is committed to providing the best “off field” and lifestyle coverage of sports. We have seen this with the regular flow of World Cup feature stories from datelines around the world. Two good examples are a Tehran-datelined story about the national team’s poor quality kit and a piece ex-Pakistan on the workers who are making the Brazuca, the football used in the World Cup which had a massive impact on social media. Both were filed with photos and video.

A worker checks a World Cup ball in Sialkot, Pakistan – photo Aamir Qureshi
A worker checks a World Cup ball in Sialkot, Pakistan. ©AFP PHOTO / Aamir Qureshi

VIDEOGRAPHICS

Videographics is an area where AFP has an original offer that distinguishes us from our closest competitors. In particular, we have produced an innovative series for the World Cup which has included stories on the business of football, a profile of the country and its flag, and overviews of the stadiums.

ORIGINAL PACKAGES

AFP produces a monthly global lifestyle package which is a magnet for high quality and original storytelling. The focus is on thematic content with global appeal. The latest nine-story package looked at the changing modern workplace with dynamic video, videographic and photo contributions. The July package will take a look at Extreme Sports. We also move a smaller package every two months to match a global photo theme drawn up by the photo department. The latest package was on Water. Again, these packages highlight two AFP strengths – our original feature and lifestyle production, and our wide global network.

LIVE VIDEO

We have taken a significant step forward in our ability to handle Live video production. On the weekend of the 24/25 May we carried four live broadcasts (our own orginal transmissions from Ukraine and Cannes, as well as relaying host broadcaster signals from Israel). To mark the DDay commemorations in France and Britain on June 5 and 6, we carried out a total of 12 Live broadcasts, most of which involved the relaying of host broadcast material, an important service to international clients. AFP will continue to increase its live broadcasts, which have become an important for international media players.