Reuters on the scene at Trump arraignment

Reuters was the first to provide coverage from inside the Manhattan Criminal Court of former President Donald Trump’s history-making arraignment on Tuesday, April 4. Meticulous and long-term planning ensured Reuters was first to relay the news that Trump had pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business records in relation to alleged hush-money payments to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. A Reuters photographer also sent some of the initial images of Trump seated inside the court, flanked by his legal team. Trump is the first sitting or former U.S. president to be charged with a crime. Reuters was one of only five news organizations entrusted to provide visuals from the courtroom, typically off-limits to photographers. The Reuters team queued overnight for 15 hours outside the court to make sure its customers effectively had a front-row seat on the proceedings. The Reuters story of Trump’s plea went viral, at one point drawing almost a quarter of a million concurrent readers.