Despite facing heightened challenges this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gazette has won new awards for its community journalism, as well as recognition as a leading New England newspaper of its circulation size.
As part of the 2020 New England Newspaper Awards, the Gazette has won two “Publick Occurrences” awards from The New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA) for two series of articles from 2019, both of which provided an in-depth look at different subjects.
“Downtown: Soul of the City,” reported and written by Michael Connors, looked at a string of business closings and changes in Northampton’s downtown scene that had business owners and residents alike wondering about the vitality of Main Street, long taken as a given in Northampton.
And in “Those Left Behind,” photo editor Carol Lollis and freelance writer Laurie Loisel chronicled how the opioid crisis has devastated families in the region and taxed the strength of frontline workers — substance abuse counselors, recovery specialists, police — who are trying to deal with the situation.
The series also highlighted treatment options, harm-reduction strategies and resource guides for where people could find help.
NENPA’s Publick Occurrences awards are named after the first newspaper published in America, in 1690 in Boston. Four days after its launch, the royal governor shut down the fledgling media company.
NENPA has also recognized the Gazette as a “Distinguished Newspaper” in New England in 2020.
Gazette Editor-in-chief Brooke Hauser said she is proud of that designation, both for the paper and all its staff. And, she noted, “It’s also a recognition of our readers and all the Valley residents who share their stories, experiences and viewpoints with us, whether through articles and photos by our own staff or through their own letters and columns on the opinion page.”
Hauser added, “I often think of that Arthur Miller quote: ‘A good newspaper … is a nation talking to itself.’ The Gazette is our community talking to itself, and we are loud and lively! That distinguishes us.”
The NENPA judges called Connors’ three-part series an engaging look at “generational changes in the life of a downtown. There is enough oomph in the writing to get a reader cheering for this little town to succeed. Good comparison statistics that underscore the challenges.”
When asked about his win, Connors said, “Usually I’m on the other end of this, asking the questions … I’m thankful for the award and proud of the work we did. It was a team effort.”
And “Those Left Behind,” a four-part series, won praise for its depth of research on a complex issue, as well as its sensitivity in reaching out to people coping with painful losses.
“It takes a special kind of effort and interviewing to get the stories of real people, especially in a topic as tough and sensitive as overdoses,” the judges wrote. “[But] people will read if there is humanity, context, impact displayed in real color and emotion … by staying on the story, the Daily Hampshire Gazette serves its community so well.”
Photo editor Carol Lollis, who came up with the idea for the opioid series, said she had been struck for weeks last year at how many people she talked to had been affected by the loss of a friend or family member due to opioids.
“I just kept trying to get my head around this and thinking, ‘How can we address this? What can [the newspaper] do to try and make sense of this problem? How do we get a handle on this?’”
She ended up contacting Loisel, a former Gazette writer and editor, to work on the series with her. Loisel wrote the series in her capacity as the director of outreach and education for the office of Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan — a connection that was made clear to readers — where she has had a frontline view of the opioid epidemic.
Lollis says it’s certainly an honor to win an award for the series — or for any work she does with the Gazette. But she sees the NENPA announcement more as a validation of the relationship between the community and the Gazette.
“It shows that we’re with the community, and the community is with us,” she said. “To have people put their trust in us is just an incredible feeling. That, to me, has way more value than any award.”
Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.