My favorite story that I worked on this year is my story about restoring Sugarloaf Island, Morehead City's barrier island. I'm very proud of the audio I captured while I was out reporting this story.
I went out to Morehead City in mid-May. I met with a source who showed me the restoration project around Sugarloaf that was still in progress at the time. We went out on a barge and crews were strategically placing wave attenuation devices in the water. I recorded audio of machinery beeping and metal chains clinking, but I really wanted to get the sound of a device going in the water.
So, I got on my stomach and lied down on the edge of the barge. With one hand I held on to the barge for balance (I held on for dear life) and with the other hand, I held my microphone and stretched out my arm as far as I could. The sound I got was extremely satisfying and I'm very pleased with how the audio turned out in my final story.
This reporting trip reinvigorated my love for audio, and that's why it's my favorite story of 2024.
