How Six Rivers Media served audiences in new (and old) ways during Hurricane Helene

This is a series on Better News to a) showcase innovative/experimental ideas that emerge from the Knight-Lenfest Newsroom Initiative and b) share replicable tactics that benefit the news industry as a whole. 

This “win” comes from Times News Managing Editor Holly Viers, Content Director Rob Walters and Managing Editor Bryan Stevens of Six Rivers Media, who participated in the Poynter Table Stakes program in 2023.

Six Rivers Media is a family-owned company serving Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. We comprise two daily newspapers (the Kingsport Times News and the Johnson City Press) and three weekly newspapers (the Herald & Tribune in Jonesborough, the Erwin Record, and The Tomahawk in Mountain City).

Over the past few years, each newspaper has become more collaborative, sharing stories with regional appeal. That said, nothing could have prepared us for the level of collaboration we achieved during Hurricane Helene, the most damaging natural disaster to impact our region in generations.

Since the storm rolled through our area on Sept. 27, 2024, our reporters have consistently worked together as part of one large newsroom, rather than five smaller ones. Every SRM editor and reporter — from the newest cubs to the surliest grizzled vets — pitched in to cover the storm that caused millions of dollars in damage, wiped out entire neighborhoods, isolated communities and left 14 people dead.

Though we’ve faced challenges along the way, our coverage has been comprehensive and wide-reaching. We’ve discovered new ways to tell stories, while also staying true to our core print products, which garnered a new wave of support in the days and weeks following Helene.

Here are three strategies we’d recommend based on our coverage of this catastrophic storm:

Prioritize collaboration

What we did and why: Due to our location, no one on our staff was prepared to face a powerful hurricane. But as weather forecasts warned of life-threatening wind and rain approaching our region, we knew Helene would be an extraordinary storm — one that required extraordinary coverage. Though we didn’t have the resources of national newspaper chains, we knew that if we came together, we could swarm every angle of the story more effectively than other media outlets in our region.

A woman hugs a loved one after her rescue from the rooftop of the Unicoi County Hospital, which was engulfed by flood waters. Fifty-four people were stranded on the roof of the hospital awaiting helicopter rescue. (Bryan Stevens/Six Rivers Media)

What worked well: Twenty-six editors and reporters pooled resources and shared stories like never before. Editors outlined coverage plans and requests in daily phone calls. If a press conference was scheduled in Erwin, but no one from the Erwin Record was available, a reporter from another newsroom seamlessly stepped in, without hesitation. When local, state and federal officials made themselves available to us for interviews, we sent out a call to the entire staff, assigning the story to the first person available.

One of our best examples of collaboration was our coverage of the Unicoi County Hospital rescue, which made national news. Rapidly rising floodwaters around the hospital led to more than 50 people being relocated to the roof of the facility, where they awaited helicopter rescue. Two reporters from the Johnson City Press worked together on the main story, while the managing editor of the Erwin Record went into the field to take photos of families being reunited with their loved ones who had been rescued. Meanwhile, reporters from the Times News monitored social media posts and posted callouts for reader-submitted content from the event.

Another example was our coverage of then-vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance’s visit to our region. Vance visited on Oct. 3, 2024, to survey the historic flood damage. We had a Times News reporter stationed at the Tri-Cities Airport in Blountville to take photos and video of Vance’s arrival and departure. Meanwhile, the managing editor of The Tomahawk traveled to Damascus, Virginia, where Vance surveyed the damage, to take photos and speak with residents.

What didn’t work as expected: Though collaboration proved to be our most effective tool, we had to learn to avoid some common pitfalls. Communication needed to be top-notch to prevent reporters from doubling up on coverage — and to keep things from falling through the cracks. Editors regularly created email chains with their counterparts, asking if someone on another staff had already written a particular story. Even still, there were times when we doubled up on coverage across newsrooms, meaning the same story appeared on our sites more than once. The process wasn’t always perfect, but we had to remain flexible and be willing to learn on the fly.

Try this:

• A sustained pace will lead to sustained coverage. In the first weeks, it felt like we were being overwhelmed by the flood. Now, like many of our readers, we have survived the deluge and can, for the most part, set our own course.
• Prioritize daily, or even hourly, calls with newsroom leaders as the breaking news event unfolds. In these crucial moments, it’s essential that everyone remains on the same page. In the days following, continue to hold daily or weekly check-ins by phone or via video chat to discuss coverage plans and challenges. This proved more effective for us than email chains.
• Encourage all reporters to get boots on the ground in the disaster zone. In the early days of the storm, for example, reporters from the Times News and Johnson City Press made frequent trips to the Erwin Record’s coverage area to see the worst of the damage. This proved beneficial when they needed to step in and cover another beat at a moment’s notice.

Tell stories in new (and old) ways

What we did and why: During and after Helene, we took advantage of all our platforms — both print and digital — to keep people informed. Within hours of the storm’s arrival, we created a new “Helene” section tag on all five of our newspapers’ websites, organizing the coverage in one easy-to-find location. We decided that all Helene-related coverage would be made available to everyone in front of our paywalls, in the interest of public safety.

A recreation vehicle is submerged in floodwaters in Erwin, Tenn., on Sept. 27, 2024. (Brandon Smith/Six Rivers Media)

What worked well: Though our reporters were in the field daily in the aftermath of the storm, we relied on reader callouts to expand our reach. We regularly posted prompts on Facebook and on our websites, asking readers to share photos and videos of their homes and communities. As the days turned into weeks, we compiled the most important milestones from Helene and its aftermath to create a digital timeline of events, which remains on all five websites today. At the end of the year, we compiled our most powerful storm footage and interviews with our editors and reporters to create a “Covering Helene” documentary, which has more than 14,000 combined views on our YouTube channels.

While our digital coverage evolved, so did our print coverage. Six Rivers Media increased the number of pages in all our newspapers every day for weeks, allowing us to provide more content to our community at no extra cost to them. In Erwin, where the worst damage occurred, our newspapers sold out in the first few weeks, as much of the community was without Internet and electrical service. This illustrates print’s continued relevance and importance, even in the digital age.

What didn’t work as expected: As we tried to be both rapid and innovative in our coverage, we faced setbacks, especially in the early days. For example, one of our first goals was to create a comprehensive, full-page print infographic to dive into the data and statistics surrounding the storm. How many people were without power? How many 911 calls did local dispatchers receive? How much would repairs cost? While we did eventually complete the infographic, it ended up being delayed by a few weeks due to the initial chaos our reporters and the community were facing. Some information was coming at us too quickly from some directions, and then nothing at all from other directions. This left us with unavoidable coverage gaps in determining just how extensive the damage was. Our team had to learn to be patient and take coverage one day at a time, saving some of the more extensive reporting for later.

Try this:

• Remember visuals in your reader callouts. Through our callouts on social media, we received aerial footage from local and state videographers, which racked up thousands of views on our social media accounts.
• Explore new content types that make the story easier to follow for readers. Our digital timeline and Helene documentary offer readers two ways to catch up on major developments they may have missed in the story.
• Take into account the access needs of your communities. In this time of distress and destruction, our newspapers were the only source of news for parts of our community.

Interstate 26 was flooded by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. (Brandon Smith/Six Rivers Media)

Go deeper with your coverage

What we did and why: As people in our community began to heal from this disaster, we wanted to walk alongside them and tell their stories. Reporters went to the heart of the storm every day, and their on-the-record accounts gave our coverage strength and credibility. They wrote about rescue, recovery, despair and hope, sadness, resilience, how to help and what might be coming next.

Residents in our area took on much of the recovery work themselves, but it wasn’t without help from government agencies. Reporters were persistent and pushed to talk with officials at the highest levels of state and federal government. For example, we had an exclusive interview with Polly Trottenberg, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, just days after the storm hit. We spoke with Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s office regularly, as well as the FEMA director.

A man looks on the destruction Hurricane Helene caused on Interstate 26 in Erwin, Tenn., on Oct. 2, 2024. (Anna Adams/Six Rivers Media)

What worked well: In the weeks following the storm, we made public records requests to every layer of government. We requested 911 call transcripts from all counties in our coverage area, to illustrate residents’ fears and concerns as the storm hit. We obtained a copy of a lawsuit filed by an environmental group against CSX, alleging the railroad company’s repair work in the Nolichucky River Gorge was “unlawful.”

We continue to make Freedom of Information Act requests, including one made in December to the Tennessee National Guard. We requested after-action reports, which revealed that the Guard ran into both internal and external communication issues that led to overlapping efforts or delayed response; medical personnel were stretched thin, putting in long hours to cover the eight counties and 2,000-plus square miles impacted; and members of the community stepped up to help provide the Guard with essentials such as food, propane and laundry, as they were lacking. This story was published in early January 2025.

What didn’t work as expected: In the days following Helene, some local and state officials were often difficult to reach. Gov. Bill Lee made frequent trips to our region to survey the damage and meet with local leaders, but we were not notified about these visits until moments before they occurred — and sometimes after they occurred. Our team was diligent in reaching out multiple times to Lee’s press team, eventually ensuring we received his daily schedule for media availability. Locally, our FOIA request for 911 calls from the industrial park in Unicoi County was initially denied, as they were part of an ongoing investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. We waited weeks to receive these calls, while calls from other localities came to us in a matter of days.

While many of our challenges were due to external factors, we also faced internal challenges. As the storm hit, our Johnson City Press office lost Internet and electrical service, leaving reporters without a way to file or update stories. We scrambled to create a satellite office for them at the Kingsport Times News so they could continue their work. We also allowed staff members to work remotely, if they were trapped at home or in the field.

Try this:

• Remember to care for yourself and your team. A few weeks after the storm hit, we encouraged reporters to attend a free webinar offered by the state on how to take care of their mental health while covering Helene. Those who attended took notes and shared helpful tips with their colleagues.
• Be persistent in the midst of setbacks. It would’ve been easy for us to give up or move on when we were denied an interview request or denied access to public records, but diligence was key to providing readers the coverage they deserved.
• Dedicate staff to the recovery efforts, too. The Kingsport Times News applied for an environmental reporter through Report for America. We look forward to welcoming our new staff member in a few months, who will monitor the storm’s impact across our coverage area and produce content for all five newspapers.