Andy Thomason
Recent articles
Independence defined 1990s
In the office of The Daily Tar Heel, newspapers are everywhere.
Stacked in hastily arranged piles, mounted on the walls or stowed away in tiny rolls of microfilm in the back of a cluttered storage room, they represent an ever-present record that compensates for the newspaper’s necessarily deficient institutional memory.
FEB 21
514 days later, no use for records
A year and a half is a long time to wait for most things, but especially something that the state of North Carolina requires be given to you quickly. APR 5
Durham article lacked context
When unified criticism of Tuesday’s article “Durham crime crosses over” began flowing in, I felt blindsided. And that, I think, is the problem. MAR 7
A voice in times of deep despair
I expect to wake up to big news on some days. But in the past four months, I have woken up twice to heavier news than I’ve been prepared for: that acquaintances of mine — UNC students — had died. FEB 27
Storify: Fire breaks out at Chapel Hill apartment complex
A fire broke out Monday morning at the University Gardens apartment complex on Pritchard Avenue Extension. JAN 29
Why is it front page news?
Friday’s front page story detailing a complaint filed against the University — regarding its handling of sexual assault cases — has rightly shocked and upset many readers. JAN 21
Complaint: UNC pressured dean to underreport sexual assault cases
In 2011, the University Counsel’s office pressured Melinda Manning, then UNC’s assistant dean of students, to underreport cases of sexual assault, according to a complaint against UNC filed to the U.S. Department of Education by Manning and four others. JAN 22
UNC releases full player transcripts
The University released thousands of pages of documents related to the 2010 NCAA football investigation on Monday following a legal settlement with eight media groups, including The Daily Tar Heel, that had sought the records for two years. NOV 7
Mariinsky Orchestra rendition startlingly dark
It is fitting that, on the eve of Chapel Hill’s autumnal extravaganza, the Mariinsky Orchestra visited Memorial Hall to deliver one of its own. OCT 30
We sued, and we would do it again
“A lawsuit is a last resort.” Those words appeared on this page two years ago today, as the paper’s editor-in-chief explained why the DTH was suing the University. OCT 28
University settles in football lawsuit
After a two-year legal battle, the University has agreed to a settlement with The Daily Tar Heel and seven other media outlets, pledging to produce, among other records, unredacted interview transcripts with UNC football players. OCT 29
Community reacts to the death of Bill Friday
Former UNC-system President Bill Friday died this morning. He was 92. Friday was the system’s first president, and became North Carolina’s most visible and well-known figure in higher education. OCT 15
Why we're changing our commenting policy
Imagine you’re in a class, the sole purpose of which is to have The Daily Tar Heel read to you by a professor. Just humor me. OCT 8
Tuition increases possible next year
The last meeting of the University’s tuition and fee advisory task force ended with student protesters chanting “shame” at Provost Bruce Carney until he retreated into his office. SEP 30
Phone records of former football coach Butch Davis released
The work-related cellphone records of former head football coach Butch Davis were released today in conjunction with the long-running lawsuit filed by a media coalition that includes The Daily Tar Heel. SEP 23
Reports of hazing among fraternity chapters fuels concerns
The University’s fraternities system is investigating nine recent reports of hazing among multiple chapters, an unusually large number that has UNC officials concerned. SEP 18
Fraternity system investigating 9 reports of hazing
The judicial arm of the University’s Interfraternity Council is investigating nine reports of hazing among multiple chapters. SEP 17
NCAA: UNC scandal doesn’t prompt probe
Barring any revelations of further academic impropriety involving the University’s student athletes, it appears the NCAA will not undertake a second major investigation into UNC athletics. SEP 5
UNC Provost Bruce Carney to step down at the end of the academic year
Bruce Carney, the University’s executive vice chancellor and provost, will step down on June 30 of next year, according to a statement from Chancellor Holden Thorp. AUG 27
In broadest stroke yet, University announces outside AFAM review
University officials announced Thursday an outside review of academic irregularities in the African and Afro-American Studies department that will attempt to trace the scandal from 2007 to its beginning. AUG 21
Recent posts
Why a front-page editorial?
Regular readers of The Daily Tar Heel will find a surprise waiting for them in the boxes this morning, in the form of a bold proclamation on the way forward for UNC on sexual assault reform. APR 1
So long, Internet!
I remember the first time my dad showed me and my brother the Internet. We dialed up (for you young’uns out there, this is the sound it made, also known as the sound a submarine makes while crashing into an underwater cliff) and several minutes later we were there. FEB 5
What's in a 'student newspaper' anyway?
I’ve always cringed a little at the phrase “student newspaper.” Not for any lack of accuracy, but for the connotations it carries. For instance, whenever other outlets cite a story by The Daily Tar Heel, they inevitably preface the mention with “the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s student newspaper…” FEB 1
Work for a newspaper (this newspaper)
Sunday’s Pasadena-like temperatures in Chapel Hill reminded me why we call this semester the spring semester: because North Carolina winters are about as reliable as my landlord’s promises to remove the raccoon who has taken up residence in our ceiling. JAN 14
What I'm thankful for
I’ve always found most Thanksgiving thankful lists to be remarkably uncreative. The vast majority seem to consist of the items the lister sees around him or her at the dinner table: family, friends, a hungry dog and football (playing on the TV in the other room). NOV 22
Student government, the DTH and fighting bias
Ever since The Daily Tar Heel stopped receiving student fees in 1993, it’s been completely independent of the University and, by extension, student government. Hence, it bears the responsibility of covering student government. In fact, it’s virtually the only news organization that does. NOV 13
How we cover presidential politics in Chapel Hill
In two weeks, the votes will be cast, the hanging chads will be unhung and the long-dead voters who have lent their names to the cause of democracy will still be sleeping in their bipartisan graves. Election season will be over and everyone (or most everyone) will be able to get on with their lives. But in the meantime, the DTH is charged with the peculiar task of covering a presidential election in Chapel Hill. OCT 24
Mistakes were made: how we err
I’ve only made one error in my time reporting for the DTH that required a correction, but it was a doosy. Still a freshman, I referred to a woman I interviewed as a man. “Was it just a pronoun mixup?” you ask. Absolutely not. In my mind, this woman was a man. When I interviewed her over the phone, I had no doubt she was a woman. When I wrote the story, a few hours later, I thought of her as a man. OCT 2
How we covered a chancellor stepping down
I was helping with a two-person analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Sleeper in my American Poetry class when Kevin Schwartz, general manager of the DTH, texted me. It read: WRAL Thorp to step down. SEP 20
Why didn't we go to the Republican National Convention?
One of the most freely spewed criticisms of the DTH I’ve heard during my college career is that our content is hopelessly biased to the left. Undoubtedly, those who hold such a view have some extra ammunition this week. SEP 6
Apply to the DTH: three reads are better than one
It’s application season at The Daily Tar Heel. For us, this means that in about one week, the DTH office will get a shot in the arm in the form of more than 100 new student staffers. When that time comes, our newsroom will become one of the liveliest in America. AUG 30
The Friday Five: Bovine Edition
Each Friday, I’m going to pick five stories from the previous week to promote here, coupled with the kind of commentary only an editor-in-chief and former high school marching band kid can provide. AUG 24
The Editor's Blog: a rambling orientation
I’m writing to you from the faceless institution that is The Daily Tar Heel, a complex arrangement of sinister machinations that, through its daily broadcast of news and opinion, reserves the right to bring down any person, place or thing in the tri-county area just for fun. I’m kidding, of course. AUG 24
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