When a tornado ripped through the Flatwood community in the early hours of Nov. 30, killing a mother and her 8-year-old son, first responders swarmed the damage, tended to the injured and led neighbors out of danger.
Local news organizations went to work, too, dispatching photographers, reporters and videographers to capture the scene and bring the story to your screens. Still other reporters worked the phones, getting the latest on school closings, road barriers, outages and other disruptions. Later, stories of faith, survival and grief would emerge, as neighbors recalled their fear, and Flatwood honored those lost to the storm.
Local journalists aren’t just casual observers. They live in and care deeply about their communities. At the Montgomery Advertiser, having a stake in what happens here is integral to our mission of strengthening communities through discovery, connection, solutions and the celebration of our neighbors.
This is the kind of journalism that improves communities. It gets people talking about what is acceptable — and what isn’t — in the way our governments are run, our children are taught, our health care is managed. It has impact. Readers tell us so.
In today’s Montgomery Advertiser, you’ll find the Impact Report, a premium edition that highlights some of the stories that made a difference in our USA TODAY Network communities in 2022. It includes our election guide, our climate coverage, and 26 vignettes selected from our newsrooms across the nation.
We recently assembled a list of 20 of the biggest stories in Montgomery in 2022. But some of our most impactful work of the past year was building relationships that allowed us to deliver continuing coverage of our readers’ most important stories.
Meet some of the reporters and photojournalists behind that work.
Readers step in to support Alabama’s rural communities
Over the past 18 months, Hadley Hitson has been covering the rural South for the Montgomery Advertiser and Report for America.
Her role was created to serve readers who reside in news deserts, and it was funded by Gannett, Report for America, and the generous donations of our readers.
From the first days, Hitson has reported for these residents, not about them. It’s a distinction that has allowed her to truly understand their needs, put the public officials who serve those rural communities on alert, connect rural residents with trusted resources and deliver a bigger bullhorn.
Here’s how Hitson describes the impact of this work:
“A lack of access to basic necessities like healthcare, sanitation and education remains common throughout the rural Black Belt. During 2022, the Advertiser dedicated time and space to highlighting these rural problems and the people solving them.
“The goal was not to give Black Belt residents a voice — theirs have been shouting for years. Instead, the Advertiser published dozens of articles with the goal of amplifying these voices and delivering them to readers who would not otherwise know much about these rural towns that dot the state. In turn, many of our readers stepped in to make a difference.
“Some donated to the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program, which is working to solve Lowndes County’s sewage crisis. Others submitted public comments to the state regarding the landfill that Uniontown residents say is polluting their community. A few reached out to connect people featured in articles with resources to help their situations.
“And all in all, there was progress: decisions made, resources dispersed and communities connected.”
Growth of business and civic engagement takes off
Brad Harper covers a wide array of topics, each with some tether to our local business community and public servants.
Harper loves to tell stories about the people of Montgomery, and he coaches reporters for our Community Hero series. He’s also deeply interested in the ways Montgomery preserves its history and lifts its oldest neighborhoods.
From Harper:
“Communities are held together by the resilience and dedication of their people, their civic engagement, their access to opportunity and the history that all of that was built upon, for better or worse. That’s especially true in Montgomery, and it’s why we remain dedicated to helping our readers understand those issues through changing times.
Historical tourism:Activist Michelle Browder buys site where J. Marion Sims experimented on slaves
“Amid reports of underage workers in the state’s manufacturing industry in 2022, our exclusive coverage has detailed why Alabama’s worker shortage is unique and charted efforts to implement a new education and training model on the local level. We’ve gone behind the news of a record $1.7 billion surge in Montgomery business investment to analyze why those projects are coming, while also following a push for more investment in west Montgomery ahead of next year’s whitewater park opening.
Building a new future:City buys Governor’s House Hotel, will demolish it for new project
“From council meetings to planning sessions, we’ve analyzed the ground-level decisions that shape local government and strived to give residents the information and tools they need to get involved. At the same time, we continued to honor the everyday heroes in the community who are committed to making this a better place in every aspect of life — educators, activists, blue-collar heroes and more, some of whom have been rolling up their sleeves since the civil rights era.”
Drove adoptions:Dogs euthanized ‘to make space’ as Montgomery area shelters are overwhelmed by increasing animal cruelty cases
Stories of injustice, and holding the powerful accountable
Evan Mealins joined the Montgomery Advertiser in June as our Justice & Equity reporter. His work goes beyond the criminal justice system to explore the social justice issues of our time.
Mealins’ take:
“One of the biggest themes that emerged in 2022 around Alabama’s justice system was mobilization. Prisoners led a labor strike protesting their often destitute living conditions and harsh sentences; activists and sympathetic Alabamians led rallies protesting the same; the governor moved to stop executions after a series of failed attempts to carry out the ultimate punishment.
Three-hour delay:ADOC ‘cannot confirm’ if Joe Nathan James Jr. was fully conscious before his execution
Alan Eugene Miller:Alabama death row inmate relays ‘painful and traumatic’ hours before state called off Sept. 22 execution
Another failed execution:Kenneth Smith ‘strapped to a gurney’ for hours as courts weighed appeals
“We reported on all of the above, helping make more Alabamians aware of the apparent infection of injustice into the state’s justice system, from arrests to sentencing. While not aligned in their mission, activism and in-depth reporting are symbiotic — impactful stories raise interest to overlooked issues, creating action and the desire for continuing reporting.
“Many of the conversations, protests, court filings and government actions might not have happened if not for the Advertiser and other outlets shining a light on injustice.”
The power of photography
Jake Crandall and Mickey Welsh bring stories to life through their extraordinary photography and videos. Each shared a few of the images that meant the most to them over the past year, and a full gallery of the year’s best.
Jake Crandall
“When I think of the impact of photojournalism, I’m thinking of the visual context our photos give to our stories. Whether it’s just a face to a name, or a setting, or an emotional connection.
“When I think of the photos that embody that, first is Perman Hardy, a Lowndes County activist, standing in her backyard where the sewage drains.
The story:In Lowndes County, 80% of homes lack reliable sewage systems. These women got tired of waiting.
“Next is the Tallapoosa Girls Ranch, which was difficult because we could not photograph faces. I love the setting and the obvious friendship and connection.
“And then the photo of JD Davison, the Fort Deposit hometown hero, returning to celebrate after being drafted into the NBA. I just love that he is the big star now, but he is walking down this street in his hometown like he probably has a thousand times before. It really shows his humble personality.”
Mickey Welsh
Here are some of Welsh’s picks:
“One shows a large crowd of protestors at the Alabama capitol and their fervor for reproductive rights during a rally responding to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
“The next shows a moment between a mother and her transgender son as they discuss their options as the Alabama Legislature passes bills restricting medical care for transgender youth in the state.
“The third shows Alabama State University Head Coach Eddie Robinson, Jr., celebrating with his team after they defeated Alabamas A&M in their biggest game of the year in his first season.”
Thank you to each of you
Your support as readers, subscribers and donors has allowed us to do much of this work. And we are committed to bringing you even more in 2023.
We appreciate each of you, and wish you the best of all that the new year has to offer.
Paige O. Windsor is the executive editor of the Montgomery Advertiser. Reach her at pwindsor@gannett.com.
