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Community Service
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In recognition of outstanding service rendered by a community newspaper to its local community. |
First Place
Development in the mountains
Staff
The Smoky Mountain News;Waynesville
Comprehensive coverage in easy-to-understand formats gives all sides of the issue, backed up by eloquent, concise editorials that have aided the move to tougher controls on development in the irreplaceable N.C. mountains. |
Second Place
Open, ethical government always best
Tom Boney, Jr.
The Alamance News, Graham,
The Alamance News is to be commended for these editorials, which persistently defend the public's right to know how its government is conducting the people's business. |
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Third Place
K-9s for the Sheriff's Department
Nancy Morrison
The Avery Journal-Times, Newland
In the best tradition of crusading newspapers, The Avery Journal Times saw a need - drug-sniffing dogs for the sheriff's department - and set out to fill it by sponsoring a fund-raising drive to get the dogs for the county. Over six months through its pages, the paper consistently urged citizens to contribute, raising $26,000 to acquire two dogs and train them and their handlers.
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For a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a daily newspaper, reflecting exceptional courage or enterprise. |
 First Place
Sold a nightmare
Staff
The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte
Extraordinary work, significant results. This series was incredibly timely – far out in front of most newspapers on an issue that has become perhaps the biggest economic story, not only of 2007, but also of 2008. It began simply – by counting and mapping foreclosures in Charlotte. Basic stuff, perhaps, but not really, because the paper uncovered a trend that nobody else was watching. In effect, “The Charlotte Observer” created its own database to detail the role of Beazer Homes USA in the subprime mortgage mess and write about the impact on individuals, communities and neighborhoods. In addition, the interactive map on Charlotte.com showing foreclosures by neighborhood was terrific work. The southern Chase foreclosure map was particularly striking, with the photos of individual houses, information about the construction date and foreclosure date, and the value of the house, when it first sold, and in the most recent tax appraisal. All in all, it was a powerful combination of print and online journalism that led to real change.
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Second Place
Speed unlimited
Staff
The News & Observer, Raleigh
I loved how they took a very simple topic that we all do too often – driving fast – and wrote about it in a fresh, compelling data-driven way. The conclusion was so intuitive, really. It also was incredibly powerful work because it proved not only that speed-related accidents kill more residents than accidents involving alcohol, but also that state legislators and court officials have eased up on speeders. In analyzing 3.4 million speeding cases, the series showed how the traffic court system is broken and why, the impact of ignoring chronic speeders, and more. This was very strong work. |
Third Place
Immigration: for better or worse
Staff
Times-News, Burlington
This was very good work. Clearly, this is an emotional topic in Alamance County (as well as the rest of the country). The eight-part series did a strong job detailing the impact on the county and concentrating on issues that affect us all: health costs, human services, schools, employment, crime and more. The series set up the debate for the region in a way that came off as fair and balanced, with pros and cons and challenges. The coordination with the series, editorials and letters and forums for readers certainly helped enlighten readers. |
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