The Chronicle honored for Camp Fire coverage
The Chronicle was honored Saturday as a recipient of the Online News Association’s prestigious online journalism award for its breaking news coverage of California’s deadliest wildfire, the Camp Fire.
The wildfire that broke out Nov. 8 in Paradise killed 86 people and destroyed more than 18,000 structures. The Chronicle’s roundtheclock coverage of the devastating wildfire included investigative pieces that examined the failure of sending an Amber Alertstyle cell phone notification to evacuees. Readers were able to track the flames in real time through the newsroom’s California Fire Tracker.
After posting dozens of articles in the first hours of the blaze, The Chronicle built indepth project pages documenting the tragedy’s severity. Visual essays were created that captured the horror of the fire, and reporters recorded audio for podcasts.
Information was sent to readers through notifications, social media and special Camp Fire newsletters.
The Chronicle was also a finalist in the Online News Association features award for “150 Minutes of Hell: Inside Northern California’s Deadly Fire Tornado” and in the investigative data category for “Vanishing Violence: Inside the Staggering Drop in Serious Youth Crime.”
“Being named a finalist in these three categories is gratifying because it shows the breadth of journalism produced by our newsroom: impactful investigations; thoughtprovoking features; and fast, reliable breaking news,” said Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper. “In a year that had so many tragic breaking news events, it saddens us to take home an award for chronicling the deadliest fire in state history, but is a reminder for us that professional coverage of such events can help us learn about these ongoing natural disasters and keep the public from becoming inured as to the consequences of increasing deadly wildfires.”
The finalists and winners of the awards are selected by a panel of judges after a committee of journalists and digital media professionals determine the semifinalists.