BPR’s work to deliver updates and critical news to the community during Hurricane Helene has been recognized with a national award for what judges described as “the gold standard of crisis journalism on social media.”
This month, the news team won 1st place for Excellence in Social Media Engagement, one of the top honors from the world’s largest digital journalism association, the Online News Association. BPR also took first place in ONA’s breaking news category for small and medium-sized outlets.
When Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in September 2024, it left communities without power or cell service, crippling traditional communication.
Asheville was left without clean drinking water for 53 days. With limited resources, BPR’s one-person audience team, Stephanie Rogers, turned to social media to fill the information void, positioning the station as a vital lifeline for the region.
Rogers is now BPR’s manager of audience engagement strategy.
In selecting BPR for the award, judges wrote: “This is the gold standard of crisis journalism on social media. Blue Ridge Public Radio’s one-person social team delivered life-saving coverage during Hurricane Helene, transforming their Instagram into an essential information hub. … The impact — measured in reach, relevance, and trust — was nothing short of extraordinary.”
In just three months, BPR’s Instagram page following grew from 3,000 to over 20,000, reaching more than four million people. The station’s presence filled a critical gap, offering clarity, connection, and essential updates during a time of unprecedented local need.
“BPR was able to step into the information void and provide the essential information for our community to not just get through another day, but also understand complicated issues like the Asheville water crisis,” said Rogers.
“Discerning what information people need and distilling it to be as accessible and easy to understand as possible on the right platforms is the heart of service journalism. We were able to do that at a time that it really mattered.”
“Discerning what information people need and distilling it to be as accessible and easy to understand as possible on the right platforms is the heart of service journalism. We were able to do that at a time that it really mattered.”
For the breaking news award, judges highlighted the station’s on-air work (in Spanish and in English) as well as coverage provided online, on social media, and via text-only delivery – which increased accessibility during a time when cellular service and wi-fi were strained or non-existent.
BPR’s work, judges wrote, “is a shining example of great journalism that prioritized public interest. From pivoting to an image-lite site, to sending SMS messages, to translating and briefing people in Spanish, all while dealing with power and water outages (including in the personal circumstances of the journalists themselves), this coverage is the epitome of local service journalism.”
“What BPR did in the direct aftermath of Hurricane Helene was potentially lifesaving,” said BPR CEO Ele Ellis.
“Our station’s vital information reached countless residents in western North Carolina and our staff accomplished while enduring the same challenges as everyone else in the region. I couldn’t be more proud,” Ellis added.
ONA held its conference in September in New Orleans, which several members of the BPR news team attended.
BPR was also named a 2025 finalist for the Knight Award for Public Service (funded by the Knight Foundation). First place was awarded to El Timpano for its investigative news series called “Poisoned Pipes and Painted Walls: Oakland’s pervasive lead problem.”
Over recent months, BPR has received many other top honors from industry groups, including two national Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), one of the most prestigious recognitions in broadcast and digital journalism. In July, the news station took home The Green Eyeshade journalism competition’s top award.
