Writer. Adjunct faculty @IUMediaSchool. Debut novel "All the Meaner Things" coming 2027 from @DeadSkyPub. Formerly @JuneauEmpire. Advisor for @TheHoosierNet.
Joined February 2010
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Jun 8
For whatever reason, many journalism teachers apparently are still not aware of this. I was surprised this spring to see several college students (who were in elementary or middle school at the time of this rule change) abbreviate state names alongside cities.
Jun 8
AP style calls for spelling out the names of the 50 U.S. states in the body of a story, whether standing alone or in conjunction with a city, town, village or military base.
This helps with clarity, as not every reader will readily know state abbreviations. Many writers and editors had to memorize AP's state abbreviations in school, but did your readers do the same?
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Alex McCarthy retweeted
A great journalism lesson: If you are trying to get good answers from someone in an interview, one of the worst ways to do it is long-ass questions designed to make you (the interviewer) feel or look smart.
The best reporters do this
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Mar 6
I haven’t mentioned this on here — I’ve been teaching two sportswriting classes at @IUMediaSchool this semester. It's been fun/surreal to be back in Bloomington a couple times a week.
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Apr 10
Yesterday, @z10nbr0wn dropped by to talk about taking advantage of student media opportunities, building sources, pursuing accuracy and fairness, the value of in-person reporting and more.
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Apr 21
Last week we heard from @AriBetterly, who spoke about putting interview subjects at ease, preparing for games, how to overcome second-guessing yourself and more.
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Mar 23
Today is one of my favorite annual newsletter traditions - a collection of March Madness-only stories the Monday after the first weekend. This year's edition has some exceptional pieces, particularly from student media outlets: mailchi.mp/8f1181676f14/hoos…
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Jan 25
Every week I send @TheHoosierNet a newsletter of good journalism I read that week. This week's edition is all about Indiana's national championship. From the stands in Miami to the streets of Bloomington, these are the pieces I enjoyed most: mailchi.mp/3453801df8f8/hoos…
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29 Dec 2024
Each week, I send a newsletter to @TheHoosierNet writers of my favorite sports and news stories of the week, with a little analysis of each piece. Today, I listed my favorite stories of 2024 and wanted to share it here as well: mailchi.mp/0f11c312ac42/hoos…
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Jan 4
My favorite stories of 2025 included a profile of a rodeo clown, a cloning scandal in polo, insightful coverage in the wake of devastating storms and speaking truth to power at a time when it's desperately important: mailchi.mp/48d0b369b5d7/hoos…
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9 Jul 2025
For the past few years, I’ve been quietly writing short stories as A.K. McCarthy. It’s not so quiet anymore, thanks to @DeadSkyPub. Debut novel “All the Meaner Things” coming spring 2027!
Vampire mobsters. Raymond Chandler meets Anne Rice. More at akmccarthy.com.
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