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UNC Student Newspaper Praised For Front Page Coverage Of Shooting

Author Phil Harris
University of North Carolina students and faculty hold a vigil for slain professor Zijie Yan on August 30, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Professor Zijie Yan was shot to death on Monday August 28, and a graduate student at UNC has been charged with first degree murder in the killing and possession of a firearm on educational property. (Photo by Eros Hoagland/Getty Images)

It has been a tragic week in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It has been a tense week in the homes of UNC families. Mine is one of them. Our oldest son is a senior at Carolina and we started receiving texts from him at 1:22 p.m. on Monday (8/28) about an armed individual on campus. UNC was locked down and our son was sheltering with his roommates in their off-campus house.

By now, you probably know that 34-year-old graduate student Tailei Qi appeared in court on Tuesday (8/29) and was charged with first-degree murder. He is being held without bond. Police say it’s still too early to determine the motive in Qi’s killing of Zijie Yan, an associate professor at UNC in the applied sciences department.

Following the shooting, classes at UNC were canceled for the next couple of days. However, the staff of UNC’s student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, was hard at work covering the story. The front page of Wednesday’s (8/30) edition has gone viral. Huffington Post reports that The Daily Tar Heel is receiving praise from journalists around the country.

The front page features nothing but actual text messages sent to and from students during the campus lockdown on Monday. Columbia University journalism professor Bill Grueskin tweeted, “I’ve never seen a better front page. And neither have you.” You can see Gueskin’s tweet below with the full front page containing the texts as they were sent and received. It includes foul but honest language.

Any rational person wants these types of incidents to stop happening at schools and anywhere else for that matter. Shining the often harsh light of truth on this and other problems we face in our society is good journalism. The responsibility that journalists carry should always be encouraged and protected.

Phil Harris is 50% of "Phil & Mel in the Afternoon" on K104.7. He has been with the station since 2013 and on the air in Charlotte since 2000. Before coming to the Queen City, Phil worked for radio stations in Pittsburgh, Austin, and Seattle. In addition to the weekly "Throwback Threesome" music video feature, Phil writes about things that matter to Charlotte sports fans and pet owners. He happens to be both.

List: The Best Colleges In North Carolina According To US News

What are the best colleges in North Carolina? There’s no perfect college because no one student wants or needs the exact same things. What makes a particular academic institution stand out to one person may be exactly what another doesn’t want. And choosing which school that is can be a daunting task. Even creating a list of universities to visit and apply to can be overwhelming. That’s why U.S. News creates its Best Colleges rankings each year. And last year they released their rankings for 2022-2023.

To create these rankings U.S. News analyzed over 1,850 colleges and placed them in four overall ranking categories. These include National Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities, and Regional Colleges. The rankings in each category are based on factors that are indicative of academic quality. This includes such metrics as graduation rates and faculty resources.

Best Colleges In North Carolina

So back to North Carolina. We’ve got some major recognizable names when it comes to universities. In, fact, in the sports world North Carolina has 4 undefeated college football teams right now 3 weeks into the season. Like many states, sports are a big driver for many of the dozens of colleges and universities across the state of North Carolina. It was a huge factor in my college selection. One that was the best decision I ever made. But returning to academics, North Carolina has options of all sizes including large research universities, midsize colleges, and small private liberal arts colleges. You can choose an institution in a big city, a small town, the mountains, or the beach.

Returning to college football for a moment, coincidental the top 4 national universities in North Carolina are those same 4 teams that are undefeated right now. Another interesting statistic is that our state is home to the number one overall regional university in the south. That’s pretty awesome! Keep reading to see where your school made the list. First, you’ll see the list of North Carolina National Universities, then Liberal Arts, and finally Regional Colleges/Universities.

 

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