HAMPTON, Va. — Prior to her graduation, in a powerful intersection of investigative journalism and community storytelling, pirate Morgan Norris ‘25 was awarded ninth place in the prestigious Hearst Journalism Awards’ Explanatory Reporting Competition for her haunting yet deeply human report, “Norfolk Underwater: Lost Time.”
Selected from a competitive field of 93 entries representing 58 universities, Norris’s achievement marks a milestone not only for her personal journey but also for Hampton University’s growing legacy in national and international journalism circles.
Published by WHOV-TV, Norris’s multimedia story explores the profound and disproportionate effects of rising sea levels on Norfolk’s Black communities—where history, memory, and time are slowly washing away. Through stirring interviews, historical insight, and a quiet urgency, she brings attention to how climate change, urban development, and environmental neglect intersect with race and place.
“My story answers the ‘why’ behind the exclusion of low-income communities from flood plans,” Norris said. “The answer of this ‘why’ is rooted in the history of redlining and a cost-benefit analysis that, to communities on the southside, feels unfair.”…