D&C reports on Buffalo blizzard miscues, migrants at northern border earn national honors

Dear D&C Subscribers --

Journalists typically don't set out to win awards when they pursue their work. Rather, they follow stories where they lead.

And the more persistent the reporter, the more important the story is worth following, there are times when the journalism created does indeed become worthy of consideration in statewide or national newspaper contests.

So it was in 2023 with two supremely important stories to readers of the Democrat and Chronicle and of Gannett's USA TODAY Network:

• The December 2022 Buffalo blizzard that left nearly 50 persons dead.
• The arrival of enormous numbers of migrants in New York state during 2023.

In the case of the storm, it was immediately evident that a loss of life that severe pointed to failures in preparation and in emergency management. So shortly after New Years Day 2023, we assigned two reporters -- regional How We Live reporter Matthew Korfhage and New York State Team health reporter David Robinson -- to find out just what went wrong and why.

A full six months later, their stunning report published, highlighting all the things that could have been done differently before and during the blizzard and illustrating the toll through one woman's tragic story. The death of Anndel Taylor, a woman in her 20s trapped in her car and texting hope for help that never came, was truly wrenching. Matthew's and David's story captures how heartbreaking her plight was and is, delivering my favorite type of story, what I call an investigative narrative.

Their teamwork was recognized this year with a third-place award in the Collier Awards for State Government Accountability. I'm quite proud of Matthew and David and of the overall effort to get this vital story told.

In the case of migrants arriving in New York last year, it became clear many were becoming stranded in the state's North Country near Plattsburgh because access to a road that had once been a pathway from New York into Quebec for migrants had been shut down. So last May, we sent Rochester reporter Robert Bell and New York State Team reporter Eduardo Cuevas to spend time in and around Plattsburgh to see what was happening in terms of care and support for the migrants.

Robert and Eduardo found families sleeping outside rural convenience stores in cold overnight temperatures. They found people full of hope but with no clear path to get where they wanted to go. And they found numerous difficult choices as some family members found their way into Canada and others did not.

Illustrating public policy issues through a human dimension is a surefire way to make stories meaningful and memorable, and the two journalists succeeded mightily at this. Last week, they were honored with second place in the National Headliners Awards, one of the country's oldest journalism contests. Quite proud of these two journalists' solid efforts.

Both stories succeeded and earned national recognition because they possessed public interest and demonstrated public impact. That's a surefire combination for reporting that gets past the obvious to peer at systems and situations in which ordinary people might struggle or suffer, and that ideally paves the way toward solutions.

Each week, usually on Sunday evenings, we'll email you highlights of our reporting and videography created exclusively for our subscribers. And we'll share with you some "behind-the-scenes" tidbits on how such journalism comes to be.

Below are some other stories written only for our subscribers you may have missed this month.Thank you for your continuing support of local news in Rochester. We’re greatly appreciative.

Sincerely,

Michael KilianExecutive Editor

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: D&C reports on Buffalo blizzard miscues, migrants at northern border earn national honors