To show the crushing impact of the Trump administration’s tariffs on U.S. soybean farmers, a multi-format team of AP journalists connected a Washington policy debate with its consequences in the American heartland. Led by Didi Tang and Josh Funk, the team of text, video and photo journalists traveled to rural Indiana and Kentucky to capture the voices of farmers facing tumbling crop prices as their top customer, China, disappeared.
Their personal stories were augmented with deep context from agriculture experts, economists and trade negotiators from both the U.S. and China, framing the abrupt halt of a 30-year trade relationship. The resulting all-formats package powerfully illustrated the real-world consequences of the trade war, telling a complex economic story through the compelling and anxious voices of those living it.
