Black Belt News Network team wins 15 awards in statewide contest for 2025 work

The Selma Sun/Black Belt News Network has won 15 awards for news efforts in 2025 from the Alabama Press Association Media Awards announced on May 22.

Nine of the awards won by Selma Sun/BBNN staff were first place honors and recognized best in-depth news stories, online breaking news, videos, podcast and social media work conducted last year. 

The Black Belt News Network started as the Selma Sun print newspaper that covered Dallas County. The Sun ended publication in August so the editorial team could focus news efforts on covering six counties in the Black Belt with the Black Belt News Network. 

“These awards affirm that strong journalism can thrive in rural Alabama,” Publisher Cindy Fisher said. “Our team works every day to make sure the people of the Black Belt see their communities reflected with urgency, accuracy and heart.”

The Black Belt News Network team won first place for the weekly Live Black Belt Newscast that airs every Friday for Creative Use of Multimedia, and the newscast’s audio podcast won first place for Best Podcast. This is the sixth consecutive year for the Black Belt Newscast to win first place. The newscast runs live on social media platforms on Fridays and reaches thousands every week.

“We’ve intentionally built a newsroom that reaches people across platforms — from digital to podcasts to live video,” Fisher said. “Being recognized for digital innovation shows that rural news organizations can lead the way in modern storytelling.”

A print story looking into redevelopment of abandoned Good Samaritan Hospital on Broad Street by Cindy Fisher and Todd Prater won first place for in-depth news and best business story.  

Selma Sun won first place in their category for Online Breaking News coverage for the story "Teen shootout at Walmart leads to death of bystander" in January 2025. Selma Sun’s additional teen violence coverage won awards, including third place for community correspondent Valencia Benjamin's video of District Attorney Robert Turner Jr. speaking at RB Hudson Middle School about curbing violence in young teens.

More from this section

Why the director of national intelligence needs more than political loyalty to do the job

World Cup 2026 Is Coming to Boston: Here Are Four Hotels to Book Now

How gas prices have changed in Gadsden in the last week

Selma Sun/BBNN Publisher Cindy Fisher said she is proud to have a second community correspondent win a statewide award in the Alabama Press Association’s contest, following a big first-place win by Angela Benjamin last year for best feature story about the loss of a foot soldier.

“One of the most rewarding parts of this work is seeing local residents become award-winning storytellers,” Fisher said. “These recognitions prove that community journalism has real power.”

Community Correspondents like Benjamin are citizen journalists who help cover events and news as part of BBNN"s Black Belt Media Lab, and Fisher encourages other residents to join the team and send stories, photos and videos from their neighborhood as a community correspondent as well by emailing news@blackbeltnewsnetwork.com.

“The Selma Sun and Black Belt News Network are a community effort – we connect the community through stories, news and information, and we invite everyone to participate,” Fisher said.

Selma Sun also won first place for the successful Selma Sun Newspaper Facebook page.

Winners in select categories of the 2026 Alabama Press Association Media Awards were announced by Dee Ann Campbell, chairman of the AMA Contest Committee. This year, 51 publications submitted 1,727 entries in the annual contest. The Pennsylvania News Media Association membership judged the entries.

“Even as local newspapers across the country continue to disappear, we are proving that community journalism in the Black Belt is alive, growing and evolving,” Fisher said. “We’re grateful for our readers, viewers and supporters who make this work possible every day.”