At the NC Local News & Information Summit on Wednesday, BPR News Director Laura Lee shared about the challenges her team faced in covering Hurricane Helene.
"It was a radically different experience than anything our team had experienced before," she said.
Lee spoke as part of the keynote panel, "A Lifeline for Western North Carolina," moderated by former New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet.
Lee appeared with Helene Recovery Reporter Jacob Biba of the Asheville Citizen Times, Executive Editor Moss Brennan of Mountain Times Publications, Western North Carolina Reporter Patricia Serrano of Enlace Latino NC and Photojournalist Travis Long of the News & Observer.
The panelists described how their teams overcame obstacles, including damaged infrastructure, to deliver vital information following the state's worst natural disaster.
"It is so easy to toss around phrases like 'fake news' and to denigrate the news media. I think anybody who listened to what these people did in terms of their dedication and sacrifices, including sacrifices with their families, to make sure the stories got told, I just think this is inspiring. This is journalism at its most empathetic and inspiring," Baquet said.
About 300 people gathered at North Carolina Central University campus in Durham for the fourth annual event, hosted by NC Local and the North Carolina Open Government Coalition.
