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…

Seeking answers about vaccine mandates

UNC-Chapel Hill encourages but does not require vaccination against COVID-19. Students who are not vaccinated must get a COVID test twice a week. We are a month into the fall semester at UNC-Chapel Hill. In that time, North Carolina has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Discussion continues about whether to require…

Frequently asked questions about FAQs

One of the courses that I am teaching this semester is "Writing and Reporting." It's the first skills course that students take in the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. They learn the basics of writing leads and stories, researching topics and interviewing people, and other skills. The course also examines different story structures…

An opportunity for free and fun news

My friend and former News & Observer colleague Charles Apple made a generous offer on Twitter this week. He will share his clever, full-page alternative story forms with other newspapers — free of charge. Apple is a features designer for the Spokesman-Review in Washington state. Back in 2013, when he was at the Orange County…

Placing the increments of impeachment in context

The impeachment inquiry into President Trump is a complicated story. It has numerous threads and characters. The broad story arc will resolve the question of whether the president should be impeached and removed from office. It will take time for the House and Senate to reach a conclusion. The impeachment inquiry is challenging for journalists…

Student guest post: Short attention spans may not equal short stories

Students in MEJO 557, Advanced Editing, are writing guest posts for this site this semester. This is the 20th of those posts. Victoria Young is a UNC-Chapel Hill senior from Concord, North Carolina. She studying media and journalism, with a concentration in editing and graphic design. Her honors minor is in creative writing with an…

Q&A with Caitlin Owens, reporter at Axios

Caitlin Owens is a reporter at Axios, a digital news organization based in Arlington, Virginia. She previously worked at Morning Consult and National Journal. In this interview, conducted by email, Owens discusses her work at Axios, the site's approach to news and her journalism education. Q. Describe your job at Axios. What is your typical…

In the wake of Storify

I was dismayed a couple of months ago when I heard that Storify was ending. I'd used the service — which allowed users to collect and arrange social media and park it all on one page — for assignments in my editing classes. Thanks to a Twitter tip from editor Gerri Berendzen, I've found a successor…

Labels and legislation

In North Carolina, two pieces of legislation have been in the news a great deal this year. News organizations commonly call one a "bathroom bill," and they refer to the other as "a voter ID law." These labels are inadequate. Each law has numerous components: House Bill 2, the "bathroom bill" passed by the General Assembly and signed by the…

Student guest post: 5 reasons why listicles are good for modern journalism

Students in J457, Advanced Editing, are writing guest posts for this blog this semester. This is the 10th of those posts. Carly Peterson is a senior journalism major with a reporting specialization who enjoys music and the arts. She writes for the UNC-Chapel Hill branch of Her Campus, an online publication that targets college-age woman.…