We have another intern to introduce on The Assembly team. We’re excited to welcome Tori Newby, who recently graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill. Close readers might recognize her byline—she wrote for us in December about two men who were still imprisoned despite a judge dismissing all charges against them.
We’re sharing Tori with INDY this summer, so you can expect to see her byline a lot more. On the Assembly side, she’ll be covering higher education and helping out with The Quad. We asked her a few questions about herself to help you get to know her.
What’s your favorite story from your journalism career so far?
I spent a few months in Cape Town, South Africa working as a journalist, and I had the opportunity to meet some really interesting people and tell their stories. One story brought me to townships throughout the city, where I talked to people about their experience on the public housing waitlist. Some residents had been on a waitlist for multiple decades and experienced health complications as a result of unsafe housing conditions, and several people were promised houses and later denied. This accountability story put pressure on the bloated South African bureaucracy, prompting several additional people to reach out to our news organization for help navigating this system.
You’ve spent the last four years in Chapel Hill. What have you learned about North Carolina in that time that has surprised you?
The university identity out here really surprised me, but in a good way. I can’t imagine many other college campuses have fire trucks themed in school colors. Traveling abroad, I’ve met many Tar Heels, just showing how far this loyalty really goes. I’ve also become quite a passionate sports fan, despite the fate of UNC’s basketball team these past few years.
You’re originally from Maryland. Compare and contrast North Carolina’s beaches to Ocean City.
Something about the themed miniature golf courses every ten blocks, bright lights of the boardwalk, and tacky t-shirt stands will always draw me to Ocean City. I’m used to crowded beaches with seagulls asking for crumbs, against a backdrop of someone at the next umbrella playing the loudest music you’ve ever heard. Somehow, that’s nostalgic for me, as ridiculous as it sounds. While I can get behind the serenity of North Carolina’s beaches, it’s hard to beat the wild horses roaming Assateague Island. I’d say I’m a Maryland beach girl through and through.