AP secured the only one-on-one video interview California Gov. Gavin Newsom granted during the global climate conference in Brazil — the result of years of persistence by California assistant news director Kathleen Ronayne. Seeing COP as the perfect opening, Ronayne pitched Newsom on an on-camera conversation that would showcase his climate views to AP’s global audience and tap the organization’s deep climate expertise.
Climate science writer Seth Borenstein conducted the interview, which generated two major stories: one on climate policy and another capturing Newsom’s first on-camera reaction to the Democrats’ shutdown deal, which he said stunned him. While Newsom had posted a comment about the deal on social media, AP was the first outlet to get his reaction on camera.