DCReport and Northeastern University Journalism Students Reunite for A Second Year of Embedded Reporting

After the Cameras Leave: Asheville, 18 Months Later

DCReport is proud to be partnering for the second consecutive year with Northeastern University’s School of Journalism to bring readers the stories of a community whose disaster has slipped from the national spotlight. This year’s project, Caught in the Current: Helene Recovery in Asheville and Beyond, documents life in Western North Carolina 18 months after Tropical Storm Helene devastated the region.

Student reporters from Northeastern’s “On the Ground” embedded reporting class traveled to Asheville in early March to examine the storm’s lasting impacts on the city, its residents, and its economy. Their reporting covers the cultural, artistic, political, social, and environmental landscape of a region still grappling with the fallout long after the news cameras moved on.

“We wanted to go to Asheville and its surrounding area to examine what happens to a community after the nation’s attention turns away from something else,” said Professor Carlene Hempel, Northeastern University’s faculty member leading the project. “We found that many Western North Carolina residents are still grappling with the fallout of the storm all these months later. ‘Caught in the Current’ is a collection of their stories — of loss, of continuing trauma, of recovery and of healing. But it is everyone else’s story too.”

The Asheville project follows last year’s inaugural collaboration, Flint Unfiltered: Stories from An American Water Crisis, in which Northeastern student journalists reported on the people of Flint, Michigan, a decade after the water crisis that made international headlines and then faded from view. As with Flint, the Asheville coverage will be dual-published on DCReport.org and Northeastern’s Caught In the Current multimedia magazine, and the two organizations plan to co-host a panel discussion in the near future.

The partnership is part of DCReport’s broader mentoring program for emerging journalists, launched with the Next Echo Foundation to pair experienced reporters and editors with the next generation of writers.

“Fostering the careers of student and early-stage journalists isn’t a side project for us — it’s central to what we do,” said David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist that is the Co-Founder and Editor-at-Large of DCReport. “And it’s just as important that we keep telling the stories that others either aren’t talking about, or haven’t talked about in a long time. Asheville is exactly that kind of story. The cameras left, but the people are still there, still rebuilding. Seeing these young reporters bring those voices forward is the whole point.”

In addition to amplifying the project via republishing the content and also sharing on social media and other communications, DCReport, via its parent organization, Next Echo Foundation, was also delighted to contribute a small financial grant to help offset some basic expenses for the students.

“Our partnership with DCReport was again incredibly helpful to us,” said Hempel. “It made a difference to our sources, from homeowners to top state officials, that their stories and words were going to reach a national audience. And it made a difference to my students that DCReport cares about impactful journalism and entrusted them to create these important and enduring packages.”

The end result is a beautiful multimedia experience featuring articles, podcasts, videos and an amazing soundscape across the Caught In the Current digital magazine, adding a powerful element that sticks with readers.

Coverage will roll out on DCReport.org starting Sunday, May 31, but readers are encouraged to take in the full multimedia experience by visiting the Caught In the Current website HERE.

Meet the Northeastern Team of Talented Emerging Journalists

Azariah Baker | Audio/Video Editor

Azariah Baker studied media advocacy as a master’s student at Northeastern University and graduated in May 2026. After earning a bachelor’s degree in music industry, she continued her education with concentrations on intellectual properties and advocacy for the rights of creatives from underrepresented communities. She has experience self developing a curriculum for young creatives centered around intellectual properties and copyrights. She is currently working on establishing a music supervision company that provides small independent creatives with low production budgets and free music for their visual media and art. Azariah served as our video and audio producer.

Hayes Botnick | Dataviz Reporter

Hayes Botnick is a graduate student at Northeastern University studying media innovation and data communication. Hayes obtained his bachelor’s degree in English from Skidmore College in 2023. He is an experienced video editor and sound mixer, having worked on several feature films and independent projects throughout New York, New Jersey and Boston. Currently, he leads a course in the fundamentals of video editing with Adobe Premiere at Northeastern.

Alina Caudle | Social Media Manager

Ali Caudle graduated from Northeastern University in 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and minors in law and public policy and women’s, gender and sexuality studies. Ali has worked as a digital media assistant at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, a communications assistant at My Life My Choice and an editor for The Huntington News. Her reporting interests include legal issues and U.S. politics, with particular emphasis on state and local governance. Raised in San Francisco, she has lived in Montana, and is now based in Boston with her puppy, Willow. Ali served as our social media manager.

Eva Ciolek Passeri is pursuing a degree in journalism and political science at Northeastern University with a minor in sociology. She is interested in social justice, history, pop culture, environment and science communication. She serves as the podcast and archival team director for WRBB, the school’s radio station, where she also hosts her own show. She writes and photographs for The Huntington News, serves as a content creator and outreach leader for the SEDS Astronomy Club, and is a member of the pre-law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta. Eva served as our social media graphic designer and led our expert’s database.

Mia Filler graduated from Northeastern University in 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and interaction design. She brings experience across social media strategy, UX/UI design, writing and video production. She completed two co-ops with the City of Cambridge in the Communications Office, where she produced public-facing content to communicate city values, initiatives and services to Cambridge residents. At Northeastern, she has written for The Huntington News and Tastemakers Magazine and served as a web and data visualization designer for Scout. Mia served as our data visualization editor.

Valentina Gutierrez graduated from Northeastern University in 2026 as an English and journalism combined major. She’s the president of Artistry Magazine, a journalistic arts and culture publication at Northeastern University. She’s also editor-in-chief of Northeastern’s Spectrum Literary Magazine and co-lead of Spectrum’s Creative Committee. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, thrifting her next fashion find and being active. Valentina managed our media partnership and public relations team.

Namira Haris graduated in 2026 with a master’s degree from Northeastern University, studying media innovation and data communication. She focuses on multimedia and data-driven storytelling, creating interactive web projects, videos, podcasts and visual investigations on social equity, technology and environmental impact. Namira is the assistant editor at Storybench and has experience in digital reporting, data tools and long-form multimedia journalism. She has also worked in editorial, digital content and strategic communications roles where she focused on analytics strategy. Namira served as the webmaster for our project.

Claire Ogden graduated with a master’s degree from the School of Journalism at Northeastern and is also a freelance journalist, arts writer and nonfiction film producer based in Somerville. She works as the communications specialist for Northeastern’s Center for Transformative Media and the Center for the Arts. In her free time, she loves running, rock climbing and watching documentaries. Claire served as our logistics coordinator.

Beck Orten is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism and cultural anthropology with a minor in Arabic. Beck’s writing and photography have been featured in Northeastern’s Huntington News, the Addison Independent, VT Digger, Blue Marble Review and more. She is passionate about global perspectives and international politics, having traveled to Morocco, Palestine, Jordan and Turkey to volunteer, photograph and report. She enjoys both traditional art and graphic design. Beck served as the chief illustrator for our project.

Grace Sawin graduated from Northeastern University in 2026 with a degree in journalism and environmental science. She is passionate about environmental justice and public service and hopes to amplify community voices through her writing. She has previously completed two co-ops as a press assistant in the Office of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and as a communications assistant at MIT’s Climate Change Engagement Program. At Northeastern, she is the editor-in-chief of Woof Magazine and the media director at WRBB 104.9 FM. Grace served as our chief copy editor and manager of classroom operations.

Sydney Woogerd is studying journalism and international affairs at Northeastern University with a focus on multimedia storytelling. She serves as co-photo director for The Avenue Magazine, a student-led fashion publication, where she directs visual strategy and creates editorial content. She has also contributed to The Huntington News and Artistry Magazine as a writer and photographer documenting community stories across Boston. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, baking and photography. Sydney served as our photo editor.

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