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| - As the clock ticks down to November 3, AFP is mobilizing its teams of journalists across North America and throughout its global network to provide original and compelling coverage of the US presidential election, despite the challenges thrown up by Covid-19. Since the two main parties held their conventions last month, Donald Trump has intensified his campaign by staging multiple rallies in the key swing states. And after spending many months hunkered down at his base in Wilmington, Delaware, Joe Biden has also started to venture out onto the campaign trail, also focusing his attention on the states whose voters will effectively decide the contest. As part of the White House photo pool, AFP is guaranteed access to Trump during every step of his campaign while our teams of award-winning photographers are also shadowing Biden's every move, both at his events in Delaware and on the campaign trail. Access to the candidates for our text journalists is more complicated as traveling with Trump is on a rotational basis under White House rules while the Biden camp is restricting numbers because of Covid but we will be present at their keynote events. Our video journalists will supplement pool footage with original images from the sidelines of the candidates' appearances. While we will of course be reporting on all the top diary events, the main focus of our coverage will be on the swing states, not only tracking the candidates on their whistlestop tours but also explaining the hot-button issues for voters there. As things stand, the outcome of the election should largely hinge on what happens in Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona. Other states such as Ohio or even Texas could spring a surprise. We will have teams of text, photo and video journalists filing regular in-depth multimedia reports from all of these key datelines. At the same time, AFP's team of specialist US-based correspondents will explain the key issues at stake on November 3: Covid, social and racial inequality, the economy and gun violence. We will be filing frequent multimedia stories on these topics, regularly taking the temperature of the electorate, whether they be Trump supporters, Democrats, Latinos or the residents of picket-fenced suburbia. We are also ramping up coverage of the two vice presidential candidates -- Kamala Harris and Mike Pence -- who face greater scrutiny than usual given that both Trump and Biden are well into their 70s. AFP will also harness its global network to report on the main geopolitical and economic stakes of an election that affects the whole world. There are three Trump-Biden televised debates in Cleveland (September 29), Miami (October 15) and Nashville (October 22) while Harris and Pence will also go head-to-head in Utah on October 7. The first debate will be a huge event and AFP will publish full preview packages in the week leading up to it, with profiles, scene pieces, analyses and explainers. It is still not clear at this stage how much access the media will get to the candidates or their wider entourage on the sidelines of the debates. But AFP will make maximum use of any access to bring them to life in text, photo and video. While we are planning a series of multimedia reportages from the swing states, we are also looking to cover the election with some original formats, including a roadtrip across the American heartland where support was strongest for Trump last time round. We are working on a series of mini portraits and interviews with emerging leaders from minority groups who will be much more vocal over the next four years -- regardless of who is in the White House. Our journalists will also be paying multiple visits to the town of Scranton, Pennsylvania, which is both Biden's birthplace and also home to some of Trump's most ardent supporters. And we are planning a series of in-depth multimedia stories on some of the voters whose lives have been upended by Covid-19 and explain how it could influence their vote. Over the next few weeks, we will be filing a series of backgrounders and factboxes in text -- accompanied by graphics and animated graphics -- which we will update and refile a week before polling day. Topics will include the key states, the voting system, the threats to its integrity, profiles of the candidates, the first ladies, running mates etc... In addition to covering the impact of misinformation and conspiracy theories during the campaign, AFP will also publish a series of fact checks on its dedicated site in English and in French On election night itself, we will be deploying dozens of journalists from all our US bureaus to provide fast and reliable results as well as reporting live from candidates' headquarters. Our video and photo journalists will be on site at the main counting centers. In text, we will move alerts on the results from each and every state and a flash on the overall outcome of the election. We will also alert the reactions of all the key players and from voters in the swing states which we expect to broadcast live on AFPTV. As the outcome emerges, we will start moving out a package of pre-prepared stories on specific angles to highlight what the stakes are. There is great uncertainty surrounding election night. Increased postal voting and counting delays could prevent a quick result becoming available on the night of November 3. As well as our regular file of graphics which we will move to match our reports at the key stages of the contest, we will also have an interactive map of the US along with a 3D videographic explaining the electoral process. We will have a rundown of the main campaign schedules, as well as regular updates on polling and fundraising. We will also provide further context including on working at the White House, US presidents down the ages, how the vote works, political, social and ethnic divisions, previous elections and how the popular vote has evolved since the time of John F. Kennedy. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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