Andy Bechtel teaches editing and writing for print and digital media. He joined the faculty in 2005.

Bechtel has nearly 12 years of editing experience in newspapers, primarily at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. His other experience includes work as a copy editor and page designer at the News & Record in Greensboro, N.C. While teaching at UNC, he worked for a summer at the website of the Los Angeles Times.

Bechtel is a member of the American Copy Editors Society, and he has served as a member of the Executive Committee of ACES. He has also written several articles for the ACES newsletter and website.

Bechtel is the author of two online courses for Poynter Institute’s NewsU: one on the fundamentals of editing and another on alternative story forms. He has also written reviews and articles for publications such as Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, Society for News Design Update and the North Carolina Media Law Handbook.

 

Education

  • M.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • B.A., University of South Carolina

Citations

  • Bechtel, Andy. “Copyright,” North Carolina Media Law Handbook: Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Press Foundation, pp. 164-171, 2007. Revised and expanded, 2012.
  • Bechtel, Andy. “Spot the Spam: How To Use Unwanted E-mail To Show How Grammar And Punctuation Affect Credibility,” The Community College Journalist, Special Issue, p. 7, August 2009.
  • Bechtel, Andy, and Lauterer, Jock. “A Most Uncommon Commons: Transforming Two Classrooms Into Community Newspaper Newsrooms,” Grassroots Editor, quarterly journal of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors, pp. 1-5, Winter 2007.
  • Bechtel, Andy. “Alternative Story Forms: ‘Secondary Readings’ Move From Being Extras To Being The Essence Of The Story,” an article in Communication: Journalism Education Today, quarterly magazine of the Journalism Education Association, pp. 4-11, Winter 2007.
  • Bechtel, Andy. “Has ‘Gone Wild’ Been Tamed — In the Headline World, Pop Culture References Can Fade Fast,” ACES, the newsletter of the American Copy Editors Society, p. 8, November-December 2006.