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Andy Bechtel

@andybechtel.bsky.social
1.1K followers 394 following 623 posts

Journalism professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. Copy editor. NOLA native, Durham denizen. Member of AAUP and ACES: the Society for Editing. editdesk.wordpress.com

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Reposted by Andy Bechtel
Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Today's winning Biology All email--in fact this is a contender for best this year
Hi all,

We received a package with no name to GSB 2144 with 80 sheep brains in it. If you are expecting this package, please reach out and we can coordinate the pickup!

Best wishes,
Jenna
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Christine Steele @kindersteele.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I’m excited to officially announce our forthcoming book—and reveal the cover! "The Collaborative Editor: How to Build Trust with Writers Through Queries and Other Communications" is cowritten with Lourdes Venard (Spring 2027, Chicago Press). Pre-order now! press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
press.uchicago.edu
The Collaborative Editor
Discover the techniques and tools for building a successful editor-writer relationship.Becoming an effective editor involves not only working proficiently with words but also learning to forge success...
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Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter @realbachscore.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"THE COSTLINESS OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS PRESENTS YEARLY A MORE DIFFICULT PROBLEM FOR SOLUTION." -- New-York Daily Tribune, May 25, 1902
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
1952
Goldfish Gender Mighty Confusing To British Judge

LONDON -- A London judge Thursday gave himself a week to decide whether goldfish should be addressed as he or she or it.

--Detroit Free Press, 5 Dec 1952
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Have you ever tried to read a scientific journal article and been told “you don’t have access, pay to download this article?” Did you know that the author of that article gets $0 if you pay? Instead, you can email the author and ask for a free copy! I’d be delighted to help and answer questions!
Screenshot of a scientific journal paywall
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Kathleen McLaughlin @kemc.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The reach of the lesbian bar story in the Boston Globe gets to something about local news, which is that people want deeply reported, weird and wild stories in their newspapers - that was a big part of the draw for local news for generations, it was fun to read!
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
AP Stylebook warns against anthropomorphizing AI systems: “Avoid language that gives them human characteristics… Instead, explain what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who could be affected by it.”
APStylebook @APStylebook
X.com
Artificial intelligence systems do not think, feel, want or understand. Avoid language that gives them human characteristics. This is called anthropomorphizing, when we ascribe human traits, emotions or behaviors to non-human things, such as animals or inanimate objects.
Instead, explain what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who could be affected by it.
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Andrea Z @azagata.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The draw / the page
A green schematic sheet shows the layout of Sundays nytimes front page Sundays New York Times front page
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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It's odd how my university regularly blasts "alert" messages about thunderstorms. But there were no warnings issued when a man entered a campus building, threatened a gathering of Black students, and fled.
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Pew Research Center @pewresearch.org · 17/09/2026
How much do you know about the First Amendment? Just 9% of U.S. adults answered all our knowledge questions correctly. Curious where you rank? Take the quiz: pewrsr.ch/3SPPVdE #PewKnightInitiative #ConstitutionDay
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James Harbeck @sesquiotic.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Editing is about much more than just grammar and punctuation. The real value the human insight of editing brings is in how well content is organized and how engaging, understandable, and usable it is for its audience. A new study from @acesediting.bsky.social shows: aceseditors.org/about-aces/v...
aceseditors.org
Value of Editing Research
Value of Editing Research Home » About ACES » Value of Editing Research See the impact of better editing The ACES Value of Editing Report examines how different levels of editing shape the reader expe...
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WUNC News @wunc.org · 15/09/2026
In an era where digital campaign advertising is everywhere, mimicking an old-school print newspaper is an interesting way to stand out. WUNC's Colin Campbell looks into political campaign ads that are posing as local news outlets. www.wunc.org/politics/202...
wunc.org
Amid Senate race, partisan groups mimic news outlets
A newspaper I’d never heard of landed in my home mailbox recently. Titled “The North Carolina Independent,” it included a crossword puzzle and some other features of a typical print publication.
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Caitlin Cooper @caitlinmaycooper.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Best plural forms ranked: 1) internal (tours de force, culs-de-sac) 2) ending in -i (magi) 3) is to es (oases) 4) suppletive (people) 5) vowel changes (geese) 6) f to ves (thieves) 7) adding en (oxen) 8) no change (moose) 9) adding es, ies (boxes, babies) 10) adding s
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Thad Ogburn @thadogburn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The only time I can recall @newsobserver.com rushing to print a "Special Late Edition" before lunchtime. Now 25 years later, it's still hard to fathom that the events of this day really happened. Always remember.
newsobserver.com
25 years later, the Triangle remembers 9/11
Today, we remember.
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Tyler Dukes @mtdukes.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Shameful. The communities these news organizations serve deserve to know what's happening.
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The Handsome Hobo🇨🇦 @thehobo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
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Ray Beckerman @raybeckerman.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The AP Will Keep Using ‘Lake Ontario’ Despite Trump’s Renaming Effort washingtonsun.com/media/associ...
washingtonsun.com
The AP Will Keep Using ‘Lake Ontario’ Despite Trump’s Renaming Effort
The publication said it would refer to the body of water by Trump’s chosen name “Lake America” only “when relevant.”
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Caroline Baxter @convergingriskslab.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Spent half the day at the National Academy of Sciences on whose building sits this quote I’d never read before. It seems arrestingly fitting, across the board, for the times we’re in. For all time, actually, which is of course the point. But still: oof.
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Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 07/09/2026
I found the best book: a 1963 dictionary of Italian hand gestures
Supplemento al dizionario italiano, by Bruno Munari, a white paperback with a photo of a hand giving the classic Italian finger-purse “Che vuoi” hand gesture
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
When Gloria Steinem co-founded Ms. Magazine in 1972, the honorific “Ms.” was virtually unheard of. Unmarried women were referred to as “Miss [father’s last name]” and married women as “Mrs. [husband’s last name].” “Ms.” was an assertion of individual identity. Women who used it were widely mocked.
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Joshua Benton @joshuabenton.com · 03/09/2026
New by me—> Trump wants the media to call Lake Ontario "Lake America." But it hasn't worked with the "Gulf of America." U.S. news outlets — even the ones that Republicans prefer — have been steadily increasing their preference for "Gulf of Mexico." www.niemanlab.org/2026/09/trum...
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One Angry Eyebrow… @oneangryeyebrow.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Happy Skynet Self Awareness Day to all who celebrate… *this gets less funny every year.
Terminator: Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate.
It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29.
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Jerad Walker @jeradwalker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
The word “y’all” is the South’s gift to the English speaking world. A warm, genderless, elegant solution to the language’s odd lack of a formal contraction for “you all”. You can use it. Really, we don’t care.
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Nick Bowman (包尼克) he/him/his @bowmanspartan.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Seriously y'all can we just quit with the robot-writing? As a journal editor, you're taking *so much of the joy* out of reading human science. You've smoothed it out into a series of banal and often inaccurate claims. So rarely do I read a paper with AI content that is very good, in any event. =/
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Wikipedia @wikipedia.org · 26/08/2026
Read more about Dolly Parton's legacy on her Wikipedia article ➡️ w.wiki/3hKA
Dolly Parton Wikipedia's infobox updated to reflect her death on 25 August.A screenshot of Dolly Parton's Wikipedia article. Text reads: "When news broke of Dolly Parton's passing, dedicated Wikipedians were quick to update the "Queen of Country's" article".
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Will Oremus @willoremus.com · 25/08/2026
A Wall Street Journal op-ed bylined by a hedge fund billionaire was flagged by Pangram as AI-written. The author admitted it, and now it seems the WSJ is standing by him. Per reports by @jeffstein.bsky.social & @maxtani.bsky.social
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Dolly Parton is still giving back even after she's gone. From her Instagram account a few mins ago: "In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at www.imaginationlibrary.com." 😭💔
imaginationlibrary.com
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library | USA, UK, IE, CA, AU
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth until they begin school in participating areas.
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Steven Rich @datab.ae · 22/08/2026
why is the DoD so afraid of some journalists?
nytimes.com
Pentagon Fires Editor and Publisher of Independent Military Publication (Gift Article)
The firings at Stars and Stripes also claimed a Middle East correspondent. They are the latest effort by the Pentagon to diminish the news outlet’s editorial independence.
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Gerry Doyle @mgerrydoyle.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
an editor's job is to make sure the writer always looks his or her best, and the reader is well-served. that often means a lot of annoying questions and revisions but it's way better than looking like an idiot and making people mad. so is having a story spiked
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Jen Rice @jenrice.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
BREAKING: It made the final cut. Congratulations, Michigan, you might have the best voting sticker of 2026.
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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Farewell to rock critic Dave Marsh. I grew up reading the Rolling Stone Record Guide and The Book of Rock Lists. www.billboard.com/music/music-...
billboard.com
Dave Marsh, Influential Critic, Activist, Broadcaster & Biographer of Bruce Springsteen, Dies at 76
Dave Marsh, a critic, activist, broadcaster and Bruce Springsteen biographer, has died at 76.
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Aideen Blackwood @aideen.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
A cool thing about AI is how it has completely flattened all individual cultural expression so I can see exactly the same ugly sign in Rio de Janeiro as I would see in Dublin
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American Library Association @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
In celebration of ALA’s 150th anniversary, the iconic David Bowie READ poster, first released in 1987, is back in print. An avid reader and library fan, Bowie was one of the first celebrities to pose for the READ campaign. Limited run. Get yours while supplies last: bit.ly/4qgL3dK 📚💙
A young David Bowie wearing a black and white varsity jacket and jeans, is holding "The Idiot" by Dostoevsky while mid-leap. The word "READ" is prominently displayed at the top. Text reads "David Bowie for America's Libraries.
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Jerry Chen @jcsalterego.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
good news i'm in the newspaper. bad news i need to talk to the editor of this headline
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Professor Amanda Sturgill @drsturg.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Journalism ethics means dialogue with the public (that's you!). Here are proposed revisions to the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics and they are asking for feedback. Please consider offering some. www.spj.org/spj-ethics-c...
spj.org
Proposed revisions to SPJ’s Code of Ethics
For a century, the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics has helped journalists make difficult decisions, explain their work and earn the public’s trust. SPJ is now considering revisions ...
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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
By per-screen average, CatVideoFest 2026 is the third most popular movie of the weekend in the United States. Only Spider-Man and The Odyssey did better. www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2026...
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Rod Walker @rodwalkernola.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Grab a copy of today’s Times-Picayune, which includes a Drew Brees Hall of Fame section.
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Charles Apple @charlesapple.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
More than 700 structures burned. 67,000 residents evacuated. 14 people unaccounted for so far. Here are The Spokesman-Review's front pages over the past three days of fires...
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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Flashback post: Teaching an in-person course in fall 2020 at a university that didn't require testing for COVID. editdesk.wordpress.com/2020/08/14/w...
editdesk.wordpress.com
What it’s like to be a professor during a pandemic
UPDATE: Since I wrote this post, several COVID-19 “clusters” have been reported at UNC-Chapel Hill dormitories and at an off-campus fraternity. In consultation with the Hussman School o…
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Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Well-made quality stuff costs more, but every time people see it, they complain. Food, clothes, appliances, pet treats, vacations and journalism too. Then I remember if I want something to exist, I have to spend money on it.
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Alexandra (Alex) Duggan @alexdugganreports.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
The front page of this morning’s Spokesman-Review, Aug. 2, 2026, the day after one of the worst wildfires in Washington state history. More than 600 structures, mostly homes, have been lost in the #OldTrailsFire. Read local news.
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David at FOIAball @foiaball.com · 31/07/2026
Mike Lombardi's tenure is probably coming to an end at UNC. I think we shouldn't forget that the school still isn't telling us who he met with in Saudi Arabia. You should know that to keep that private, UNC hid behind a law that wasn't even on the books. www.foiaball.com/p/unc-mike-l...
foiaball.com
How UNC hid who Mike Lombardi met with in Saudi Arabia
They cited a law that wasn't in effect at the time.
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Molly White @molly.wiki · 29/07/2026
enjoying imagining the discussion among editors in which they determined if this ought to be pluralized as Spider-Mans, Spider-Men, or Spiders-Man
The former World Liberty adviser said the scenario reminded him of the meme in which two Spider-Mans point at each other.
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Conscious Style Guide by Karen Yin @consciousstyleguide.com · 23/07/2026
AP updates guidance on using generative AI. What would you add or change?
ap.org
AP updates newsroom standards for artificial intelligence  | The Associated Press
AP today released updated newsroom standards governing the use of artificial intelligence, reinforcing that AI can assist journalists with specific tasks.
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Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Every conversation in the greater DC area, given people enough and time, eventually comes around to how upset we are about what Jeff Bezos has done to The Washington Post.
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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I've been waiting for a news organization to do "Mitch Watch." The Daily Beast is on it.
A clock counter showing how much time has passed since Senator Mitch McConnell was taken to a hospital and last seen in public
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Alex Johnson @malexjohnson.com · 22/07/2026
Americans don't like soccer, they said. It's the largest TV audience, excluding NFL games and news events, since the finale of "Seinfeld" 28 years ago. www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/07/worl...
sportsmediawatch.com
World Cup Final combines for more than 66 million across Fox, Telemundo
The World Cup ended with another historic audience as more than 66 million watched Spain defeat Argentina in the final.
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Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Tenure is earned within an employment agreement. It *confers* privileges. Saying tenure itself is a precarious gift that can be removed capriciously is a fundamental upending of the concept of tenure.
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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
An urban explorer visits the former @newsobserver.com building in downtown Raleigh. I worked here for 12 years in the 1990s and 2000s. www.instagram.com/p/Da_a29xhg9b/
instagram.com
Urbex - NC on Instagram: "This building used to make news papers for the local city and surrounding areas. Today it sits abandoned with plans of demolition. #urbex #northcarolina #urbanexplorer #urban...
38 likes, 2 comments - urbex_nc_ on July 19, 2026: "This building used to make news papers for the local city and surrounding areas. Today it sits abandoned with plans of demolition. #urbex #northcaro...
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Andy Bechtel @andybechtel.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
I recommend “The Odyssey” (2026). It’s based on Homer’s epic D&D module.
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