The co-founders of Asheville Watchdog received the 2024 Circle of Excellence award Wednesday from Leadership Asheville Forum for their contributions to local journalism since its birth as a free, non-profit investigative news site in 2020.
Watchdog Publisher Bob Gremillion, Investigative Reporter Sally Kestin, and Executive Editor Peter Lewis accepted the award at Leadership Asheville Forum’s Critical Issues luncheon for “outstanding and dedicated service to the community.”
In presenting the award, forum board member Joe McGuire, who nominated The Watchdog for the accolade, praised the impact of its investigative journalism, noting the work had led to indictments, legislative action, and other positive changes in the community.
McGuire cited The Watchdog’s series of revelations about problems in patient care at Mission Hospital since its sale to HCA Healthcare in 2019 and its 2023 12-part series, Down Town, which focused on crime, homelessness, and other problems plaguing downtown Asheville. He also praised Kestin’s Equity Erased series, which documented how Buncombe homeowners lost years and in some cases generations of equity to Asheville real estate investors.
The Watchdog is run by volunteer veteran journalists and media executives. Gremillion is the former executive vice president of the Tribune Publishing Company, where he oversaw The Baltimore Sun,The Hartford Courant, The Orlando Sentinel, and other newspapers. He was publisher of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Kestin was a reporter at The Sarasota Herald-Tribune, The Tampa Tribune, and The South Florida Sun Sentinel, where she won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. She was a 2006 Pulitzer Prize finalist in investigative reporting.
Lewis is a former senior writer, editor, and columnist for The New York Times, managing editor of The Bay Citizen in San Francisco and a senior editor at Fortune magazine. He was a John S. Knight Fellow and Hearst Visiting Professional in Residence at Stanford University, where he taught journalism.
“We started Asheville Watchdog four years ago with the idea that everyone in the community deserves high quality local focused journalism, regardless of their ability to pay,” Lewis said in accepting a plaque and a $500 donation to The Watchdog. “Thank you for the validation that we’re receiving today.”
Each year, Leadership Asheville Forum bestows a Circle of Excellence award, recognizing an outstanding leader who has demonstrated leadership and impact in addressing critical needs of the community.
“It would be hard to imagine anyone who has done more for this community so selflessly and with such care and consideration,” Forum President Nancy Waldrop said to Gremillion, Kestin, and Lewis.
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Keith Campbell is the managing editor of The Watchdog. Email kcampbell@avlwatchdog.org. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/donate.
Congratulations! So well deserved! Keep up the very important work you’re doing for the citizens of WNC.
Democrats all . ” Watchdog is , sadly , leftist ignoring any conservative point of view , therefore abandoning any legitimacy as a newspaper .
I respectfully disagree with your viewpoint. We work hard to include all sides in our news stories.
It’s easy to understand Lex Burkett’s view given John Boyle’s opinion pieces and his silly Answer Man responses. I’m old school when it comes to news reporting, and believe that opinion should be kept out of it. Boyle’s work is the Watchdog’s weakest link! His assignments should be news reporting, not his failed attempts at humor!
Thanks for your feedback. We believe there’s a place for Opinion pieces in journalism, and we clearly label John’s columns as such. Humor is truly subjective, and we find many readers appreciate his sense of humor.
Strongly disagree.
Agreed Keith, As a conservative, I do not have any problems with how the watchdog reports the news, nor do I have any problem with the opinion pieces. You have to look no further than their series on Downtown , which was a very fair, brutal, and honest assessment of the state of downtown then. Keep up the great work Avl Watchdog, you are a well needed and refreshing breath of high caliber reporting.
Don’t like it? Don’t read it.
By the way, it’s not a newspaper..
A well deserved honor. Thank you to AVL Watchdog for being here and for doing good work and making a difference in Asheville. and thank you Joe McGuire for bringing about this honor.
Nice recognition and I will echo those who have already said it is well deserved.
Much deserved recognition of your outstanding work! You have come along at a critical time for our region. Thank you!!!
Congratulations! Thank you for the work you do!
Well deserved recognition for your generous contribution of time, expertise, commitment, intellect, and perseverance. Your writing has made a difference in this community and you have my gratitude.
AVL Watchdog’s probably one of the top things to happen to Asheville since 2020. All your reporting makes a difference, and is appreciated!
Congratulations, Doggies!
What you have done is fantastic.
What a fortunate community we are to have you here.
MY HEROES!!! Congratulations! See you next week at the Biltmore Lake Clubhouse!!!
Thank you Watchdog for all you do. Our community needs you! Congratulations!
Watchdog reports issues, and an intelligent reader considers all sides of the issues. If you hold a different opinion, it might actually surprise you what you might learn from “the other side.” I love John Boyle and his take on life and, of course, his humor. And we could all use more humor! Congratulations, Watchdog! Keep up the great job!
Agreed Cherie. Even if I disagree with John’s opinion, he is just too much of a loveable scamp not to like him. I respect his opinions, which are of course his own, people should not take it so seriously if they disagree.
Well deserved! Congratulations!
Well deserved. Thank you, Watchdog!
Asheville Watchdog: News that makes a difference.
Journalism worth supporting. Thank you to Asheville Watchdog for its investigative work in this community. It is much needed and it’s making a difference. That’s why people go into journalism anyway. Certainly not for the money!