Amazon frown

Last week, I was sad to hear that Amazon is ending Amazon Smile. The program allowed customers to have a sliver of each Amazon purchase donated to charity. Amazon says the program "has not grown to create the impact that we had originally hoped" since its creation in 2013. The program will end in February…

Come to Columbus for ACES Evolve

The national conference of ACES: The Society for Editing will take place March 23-25 in Columbus, Ohio. I’ll be there. The conference's theme is "ACES Evolve, The Power of Editing," and the gathering will have sessions that will appeal to editors across disciplines. I'll be on a panel about teaching editing. We’ll learn who won the headline contest,…

What I am teaching this semester

The spring 2023 semester at UNC-Chapel Hill begins on Monday, Jan. 9. Here's what I am teaching this term: MEJO 153, Writing and Reporting. In this course, students learn the essentials of writing and information gathering for journalism and public relations. The class meets twice a week and has 20 students. Here is the syllabus.…

Q&A with Triangle Blog Blog

Melody Kramer, Stephen Whitlow, Martin Johnson and Geoff Green are contributing writers/editors at Triangle Blog Blog, which describes itself as "a group blog for the civically curious." Launched in March 2022, it focuses on issues such as housing, transportation and governance in two adjacent North Carolina towns, Chapel Hill and Carrboro. In this interview, conducted…

Winter break

With final exams graded and the semester coming to an end at UNC-Chapel Hill, I am taking a break from this site until January. I hope that you enjoy the holiday season. Thanks, as always, for reading. See you in 2023.

Q&A with Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez of Fortune magazine

Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez is a reporter at Fortune magazine, covering financial technology and the intersection of race and business. He previously interned at The Charlotte Observer and The Wall Street Journal. In this interview, conducted by email, Quiroz-Gutierrez discusses covering crypto currency and the role of student media in his career. Q. Describe your job at…

Flashback news with Fleetwood Mac

Christine McVie, singer, songwriter and keyboardist for Fleetwood Mac, has died after a brief illness. I learned of her death in an unusual way for 2022: on the car radio. Driving home on the last day of class of the semester, I heard "You Make Loving Fun," one of McVie's signature songs with Fleetwood Mac.…

Q&A with Zachery Eanes of Axios Raleigh

Zachery Eanes is a reporter at Axios Raleigh. He previously worked at The News & Observer, where covered technology and real estate, and at the Herald-Sun of Durham, covering business. In this interview, conducted by email, Eanes discusses his role at Axios Raleigh, including his work with its daily email newsletter. Q. Describe your job…

Q&A with Sabrina Ortiz of ZDNET

Sabrina Ortiz is an associate editor at ZDNET, where she covers the intersection of technology and daily life. She is a 2022 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, studying journalism and political science. In this interview, conducted by email, Ortiz discusses her work at ZDNET and offers career advice for journalism students. Q. Describe your job at…

Discovering and remembering the Green Book

The Green Book was started in 1936 by postal worker and travel writer Victor Hugo Green. He died in 1960, and the Green Book ceased publication in 1966. "Green Book" was a trending topic this week on Twitter because of its appearance on "Jeopardy!" In the Final Jeopardy round, the category was travel. Here was…