UNC journalism student from Concord covers Moore County blackouts for NYT

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A University of North Carolina journalism student from Concord is getting the opportunity to cover the Moore County blackouts for a national media outlet.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said the source, gunfire at two Duke Energy substations, was a “criminal attack,” and said that violence and sabotage will not be tolerated. Meanwhile, more than 35,000 families have been living without power since Saturday night.

READ MORE:

• NC families seek shelter from cold amid power outages caused by substation attack
• FBI investigating power grid attack in Moore County, sheriff says

21-year-old Kyle Ingram, a student at UNC’s journalism school, was asked to cover the story as a contributing reporter for the New York Times, and he’s doing it all in the middle of exams. He said his experience at Concord’s Jay M. Robinson High School helped fuel his passion for journalism.

“Growing up, I wanted to be a novelist, actually. I wanted to write fiction,” Ingram said. “When I got to high school, we didn’t have a creative writing class, but one of my English teachers recommended I take her journalism class instead. So, for four years at Jay M., I was on the school newspaper. I became editor my senior year.”

Ingram credits that English teacher at Robinson, Kelly Poulos, with shaping his career path. He got involved with the daily college newspaper when he arrived at UNC.

“I really loved doing that sort of work and I made sure to start at the Daily Tar Heel right when I got to Carolina,” he said. “I just fell in love with it ever since.”

He said he hopes to work at the New York Times someday.

(WATCH BELOW: ‘Intentional vandalism’ reason for mass power outage in Moore County, authorities say)

‘Intentional vandalism’ reason for mass power outage in Moore County, authorities say

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