2020 is probably a year nobody wants to remember and as a photojournalist it has been an extremely intense and difficult year to cover. But I do think it is important to document all the big news stories, good or bad, and here is my take on 2020. One picture for each month, all taken on assignment for Verdens Gang, Norway.
January, Washington DC.
The year started of with the Impeachment trail in the Senate where the majority leader Mitch McConnell led his Republican caucus to a non conviction of President Trump. Here he’s coming out of the Senate with Democratic Senator (and the Presidential candidate) Amy Klobuchar. At the time it felt like this would be the biggest news story of the year already in January, little did we know. I covered the impeachment process with reporter Maria Mikkelsen.
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February, New Hampshire.
Democratic candidate Joe Biden entering a rally at a gymnasium in New Hampshire during the primaries. He ended up on a weak 5th place in the state and didn’t even stay for his election night party there, instead he flew to South Carolina where his campaign would get new life with a solid win there, laying the groundwork for him to become the United States 46th president.
Reporter Maria Mikkelsen and I was covering the primary elections together.
March, New York City.
The Corona pandemic came and emptied the street of New York City. In the beginning of March, all essential businesses closed in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. It felt eerie to walk the streets in what was one of the busiest cities in the world that now looked lika a ghost town.
April, New York City.
New York was the epicenter for the Corona pandemic during the spring with about 1000 deaths a day. The hospitals where overwhelmed with covid patients as was the funeral homes. Freezer trucks parked in the street to store bodies in became a common sight in the streets of New York. It was unsettling times to say the least, and I went to great lengths to stay safe with face mask, sanitizing wipes (cleaning ca interiorr, cameras etc) and always undressing in basement and taking a shower right after coming home.
May, Minneapolis.
After the police killing of George Floyd (an African American), was captured on video the streets of Minneapolis were filled with Black Lives Matter protesters. At times there where violent confrontations between the police and the protesters. The police often used teargas and rubber bullets in an attempt to control the crowds. It was a difficult environment to work in and at times I and colleagues where target by rubber bullets from the police. The protests would spread over the whole country (and the world) the coming weeks, and months.
June, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
President Trump is holding his first rally after the Corona pandemic hit the U.S. The streets outside the arena where filled with BLM protesters. The National Guard had been called in but all in all, there where no major reports of unrest. Being there, I felt that at this place and time, all the big news stories of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic, BLM protests and the Presidential election came together at the same time.
July, Scranton, Pennsylvania.
74 year old Rick is bartender at the hotel that now is located in the former train station in downtown Scranton. The bar has just opened up after the first wave of the corona virus. I took a quick picture of the beautiful bar room on my way to check out from the hotel. Rick and I started to talk and he had a lot of interesting things to say so he ended up in an article I was working on about the city where Joe Biden grew up.
August, Washington DC.
Martin Luther King lll is speaking of in front of thousands of BLM protesters at the Washington Mall. He’s standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the same place where his dad held his famous I have a dream speech in 1963. It was hard not too feel the history of the moment being there covering this event.
September, Mosinee, Wisconsin.
Donald Trump is holding a rally at an small airport. While Joe Biden limited his campaign events to few supporters in cars (drive in style), Trump campaigned extensively during the fall. Almost always having the events outdoors at small airports (made it easy for him to arrive and leave with Air Force One). Covering these events as a photographer didn’t always feel 100% safe in regard to Covid-19 since so many of the Trump supporters were not wearing face masks.
Oktober, Youngstown, Ohio.
Jim works at a heat plant in Youngstown. I met him together with reporter Marianne Vikås before the election in 2016 and reporter Jostein Matre and I decided to come back before this years election to see if he still supports President Donald Trump and he did, Jim told us that he was very satisfied with the job the president had done so far.
November, Washington DC.
It's election Day and the newly namned Black Lives Matter Plaza in front of The white House is filled with a large anti Trump/pro Biden crowd. I and reporter Jostein Matre had been out on a 10 days long roadtrip through the the rust belt, doing election related stories in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, before we reached DC. We came to stay there for another four days before the major TV networks called the election for Joe Biden and celebrations started in the streets of the capital.
December, Washington DC.
President Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flyyn held two speeches to the big “Stop the steal” demonstrations in DC. Thousands of Trump supporters came to DC saying, like the President himself, that they don't except the election result because as they claim, the election was rigged.
Flynn was fired in 2016 after just a few weeks in the White House after having lied about his contacts with the Russians. Flynn later pleaded guilty to lying to FBI about it but was pardoned by Trump in November, 2020. I covered this event together with reporter Camilla Begland Svænnes.