From the editor: Fayetteville Observer journalists win NC Press Association awards
Let’s kick off July with some good news, shall we?
Each year, The Fayetteville Observer submits its best work for consideration by the North Carolina Press Association, and this year, we will be bringing home six awards.
The Observer competes in Division E, which includes daily newspapers across the state with a circulation of more than 10,000. This year’s awards will be presented during a ceremony Sept. 19 in Raleigh.
More recent accolades: From the editor: Fayetteville Observer wins national journalism honors
I can’t wait.
Now, for the really good stuff. Allow me to tell you more about journalists Andrew Craft, Rachael Riley and Taylor Shook and their award-winning work.
Taylor Shook
Taylor, who joined the Observer in 2022 as our food, dining and culture reporter, is the recipient of three awards.
She won first place in news enterprise reporting for her story on Fayetteville’s ghost kitchens. It’s a great read on a recent trend in the restaurant industry where parent restaurants make food under a different brand name for delivery only.
Taylor also won a first-place award in arts & entertainment reporting for a story that will have you longing for the days of disco. She took a look into the electric nightlife in Black-owned clubs in the 1970s and ‘80s that brought live national acts to Fayetteville.
And finally, if you haven’t heard of our 107,000-member Fayetteville Foodies Facebook group, you must not be on Facebook. Taylor received third place for use of social media for her work moderating that group, where people discuss the food scene in and around Fayetteville.
Rachael Riley
Rachael, who received two awards this year, has been at the Observer since 2019, covering Fort Liberty, the military and veterans.
Her first award is third place in beat feature reporting for a story on how the U.S. Army Special Operations Command is combating suicide at Fort Liberty. She writes about a widow who lost her soldier husband to suicide and two soldiers who survived suicide attempts. It’s not an easy read, but it’s a good one, and I encourage you to read their stories.
Rachael also received third-place honors for headline writing. Here are her winning entries:
On a roll: Why wheelchair basketball is coming back to Fayetteville
‘Liberty bibberty’: What social media is saying about Fort Bragg’s pending new name
Andrew Craft
Photographer Andrew Craft has been with the Observer for nearly 20 years. This isn’t his first rodeo; Andrew has won dozens of NCPA awards over the years, including the Hugh Morton Photographer of the Year Award.
This year, he received third place in general news photography for a haunting photo of press operator Luke Glasgow working on our Whitfield Street printing press during the Observer’s final printing in Fayetteville. As you may recall, the Observer ceased printing operations in Fayetteville in April 2023, and our paper is now printed in Gastonia.
I hope you also remember that the Observer newsroom staff haven’t gone anywhere. We still live and work in Fayetteville doing the award-winning journalism our predecessors started more than 200 years ago in 1816.
We couldn’t do it without you, though. Thank you for your support.
And thanks for reading.
News Director Beth Hutson can be reached at bhutson@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3533.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville Observer wins North Carolina Press Association awards
