The staff of the Asheville Citizen Times and USA TODAY Network have won a first-place National Headliner Award.
The annual awards contest, whose winners were announced April 30, honors the best print, radio, television and online journalism in the United States published during 2024.
The Citizen Times, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, won in the Public Service category for Newspapers not in top 20 media markets. The entry, “Helene and its Deadly Aftermath,” was awarded for our comprehensive coverage before, during and after Tropical Storm Helene, which ripped through Western North Carolina Sept. 27, causing unprecedented flooding, $60 billion worth of damage and more than 100 lives lost across the state.
The French Broad River rises above its banks in the River Arts District on Friday, September 26. Hurricane Helene is bringing heavy rains to Asheville.
Here is what the Headliner judges had to say:
“Reporters from the Asheville Citizen Times and their Gannett partners produced utility journalism at its finest. In the midst of the worst disaster in western North Carolina’s history, they covered the horrors, the heroes, the how-tos, providing information to communities that otherwise were operating on rumors. The coverage, through push notifications, text messages, online stories and, when possible, free newspapers, was complete, fair, and most importantly, informative. Fact checking was extremely helpful. The staff provided a huge public service to the community they live in and love.”
Our staff, like many of you across Asheville and Western North Carolina, had no water, power, cell service or Wi-Fi in our homes. We were lucky that our offices — in the Wells Fargo building downtown — had electricity, internet and cell service throughout the storm.
Residents search for supplies at Aldi along Swannanoa River Road in downtown Asheville Sunday afternoon.
Even though we had no running water or air conditioning — remember how hot it was in late September and early October? — we came in each day and were out in field, covering every aspect of the horrors and the hope wrought by Helene.
We were downtown speaking with people in food and water distribution lines, we trudged through the mud of the destroyed River Arts District and town of Marshall in Madison County. We documented the utter destruction in the Swannanoa Valley through words, photos, video and even a kayak journey to meet you all face to face and hear your stories of pain and loss at losing homes, businesses and loved ones. We were in Hendersonville, Chimney Rock and Lake Lure and the farther reaches of Avery and Mitchell counties and the Pigeon River Gorge, documenting the deadly landslides and I-40 disintegration.
You all spoke to us of your pain but also the selfless acts of friends, neighbors and strangers who helped muck out layers of heavy mud, held pop-ups with free food, diapers and clothing and some who threw themselves into vicious rivers to try to rescue those clinging to roofs and trees.
The Citizen Times staff, with help from dozens of our colleagues — reporters, photographers, drone pilots and editors from across the country — are honored to be your daily newspaper. We’ll continue to recover from Helene with the news you need, the accountability you deserve and a spotlight on the incredibly hard work of the people of Western North Carolina.
Canopy Studios & Gallery at Art Garden owner Annie Kayla Bennett hugs a friend Friday afternoon at Riverview Station in the River Arts District in Asheville, as volunteers work to salvage what’s left at the art center, following the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
More: Chávez: Overflowing potties, chainsaws, lives lost: Helene daily newspaper reporting
More: Isolated from the world, Asheville residents scavenge for food amid Helene floods
Karen Chávez is Executive Editor for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Tips, comments, questions? Call 828-236-8980, email KChavez@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville Citizen Times staff USA TODAY win National Headliner Award