Chapel Fowler, the former sports editor of The Daily Tar Heel, UNC’s student newspaper, has joined the staff of the News + Record as a sports reporter.
Fowler, a May graduate of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at UNC, wrote more than 200 stories during his four years there and held sports internships at The Charlotte Observer — where his father, Scott, is a sports columnist — and the Virginian-Pilot/Daily Press, and has also done freelance work for the (Raleigh) News & Observer, U.S. Lacrosse Magazine and The Louisville Courier-Journal.
“We’re really excited about adding someone as energetic and skilled as Chapel,” News + Record Publisher Bill Horner III said. “He brings with him an eye for good stories, diligence and verve. His coverage of UNC sports for the DTH and his compelling writing made him well known on campus and among his professional peers across the state. He’s already proven his worth to us and will be a great asset as high school sports get set to begin again in the fall.”
At The Daily Tar Heel, Fowler covered everything from volleyball to men’s basketball to field hockey to lacrosse. He said that he was a “huge believer in boots-on-the-ground reporting” and enjoyed covering high school sports.
“One of our chief goals here is to inform our community, so I’d love to hear from anyone who has story ideas or recommendations for coverage,” Fowler said. “Institutional knowledge is something else I really value, and since I’m not a Chatham County local, that’s obviously still a work in progress for me — and a great challenge.”
Fowler, 22, is a native of Denver, N.C. In addition to his print coverage, Horner said Fowler has been tasked with boosting the News + Record’s digital and social media coverage of local sports and to look at national issues through a local lens. He will also assist with general news coverage.
“Something I love about high school sports is its fanbase,” Fowler said. “Fans span multiple generations and have experiences both shared and unique. I’m equally fascinated by archival work, so I’m looking forward to learning about more former athletes in Chatham County whose stories deserve re-telling. Every city or town in America has a few high school stars who either made it big, or had a chance to but for some reason didn’t. Every city or town also has people who watched those stars grow up and excel, and that’s an awesome resource.”
You can find Fowler on Twitter at @chapelfowler and contact him at cfowler@chathamnr.com.
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