Donate to the AAN Publishers Revenue Recovery Fund to Help Staff Members of Western North Carolina Newspapers
In late September, Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, dropping 1-1/2 times more rain in the area than any other storm in recorded history. Two AAN Publishers publications serve readers in the affected areas: Mountain Xpress in Asheville, N.C., and the Smoky Mountain News in Waynesville, N.C.
Despite the damage, Mountain Xpress and Smoky Mountain News never stopped producing the news their communities need.
As western North Carolina begins a long road to recovery, these publications are facing months of economic stress.
ANF has launched the AAN Publishers Recovery Fund to help Mountain Xpress and Smoky Mountain News and their employees—because that’s what independent news publishers do: They serve and support their communities, and in this case, we’re supporting our community of fellow independent publishers.
All AAN Publishers Recovery Fund donations are tax-deductible, and will go directly to helping Mountain Xpress and Smoky Mountain News.
In Asheville, Mountain Xpress publisher/editor Jeff Fobes said the staff is persevering.
“We have power and connectivity. Those staff members who are able are currently working from the office,” Fobes said. “The city water system has been substantially damaged, and there’s not yet a timeline for getting it back online. Gas is very hard to get. Cell service is returning bit by bit, sometimes at a rudimentary level. Grocery stores are starting to reopen, but food supplies are very limited so far. Some areas are washed out; roads and bridges gone.”
Smoky Mountain News publisher Scott McLeod said his staff is safe—
and even managed to produce a print edition the week after the storm hit. “(It) will have limited distribution … as roads are closed; businesses are closed; gas is hard to come by, etc.”
While the publications and their staff members are out of immediate danger, both Mountain Xpress and the Smoky Mountain News face an existential threat—because closed and damaged business cannot advertise.
“October is (usually) the largest revenue month for every business up here, including us ,” McLeod said.
Garret K. Woodward, the Smoky Mountain News’ arts and entertainment editor, said witnessing the damage to the community has made him sick to his stomach—especially in Asheville’s River Arts District.
“The cultural heart of the city has been erased from the map,” Woodward said. “For someone like myself with a keen sense of direction, and who knows the RAD like the back of my hand, it was difficult to orient myself and figure out what buildings were what and where some once stood. … I've interviewed dozens of artists and small businesses all around the RAD in my tenure. I know their stories of hard work to achieve long-held dreams. I’ve championed their passion and purpose in my writing and stories that have been published over the years.”
The publications need financial support for various reasons, from child care for staffers while schools are closed, to replacement newspaper-distribution boxes. Mountain Xpress advertising director Susan Hutchinson said the paper is launching a subscription drive.
“Many of our metal newspaper boxes were in the flooded areas, and we fear (the boxes) will be declared hazardous materials because of the chemical residues in the mud,” she said. “… Because our delivery routes are going to be scaled back dramatically, the subscription drive is key to our recovery. We hope that will open the door to getting legal notices in the paper, and grants that want a broader distribution than where we can drive.”
Despite the challenges, the staff members at Mountain Xpress and Smoky Mountain News remain committed to serving their communities—no matter what it takes.
“The community is devastated but not defeated,” said Mountain Xpress managing editor Thomas Calder. “Xpress and other local news outlets continue to be the source for relevant information: where to get food and water, how to apply for FEMA assistance, ways to donate goods, roadways that have opened, medical facilities that are operational, Wi-Fi hot spots—things that matter to those of us in crisis and recovery mode.”
Smoky Mountain News political editor Cory Vaillancourt described journalism as a public service—“even when your socks are soaked, even when your car is caked with mud, even when your office roof is leaking. The thought that our work may have provided some small comfort to the people in our community, or may have even saved lives, is worth more to me than any paycheck ever could be.”
