Latest Stories

The Classroom Under Watch: AI Surveillance in Schools and the Ethics Behind It

This investigative podcast looks at how AI-based surveillance tools are being used in schools across the state, drawing on specific local cases. It examines the legal frameworks that govern student monitoring, alongside the ethical concerns around privacy, consent, and the student experience. UNC Professor Sun-ha Hong helps unpack these cases and their potential implications.

Schools are a frontline to youth suicide prevention

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youths in the United States, and the rates continue to escalate. Many youths in crisis are directed to the emergency department but end up waiting for days in the ER for a psychiatric bed. But what if the signs of mental distress in youths can be caught early and avoid an ER visit altogether? Embedding mental health services in schools offers a solution.

As housing costs rise, investing feels different for a generation trying to plan ahead

Rising housing costs are reshaping how young adults approach financial planning, often delaying investing and homeownership. UNC students collaborating with Vanguard explore how UX design can make financial tools clearer and more trustworthy. As affordability strains budgets, financial literacy, transparency and personalized planning become essential for navigating an increasingly expensive transition into adulthood.

How the Knight Foundation helps power UNC Hussman — and why that matters far beyond Chapel Hill

This story takes readers inside the evolving partnership between the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, showing how one of the nation’s most influential journalism philanthropies is helping shape the future of media education. Through interviews with foundation leaders, faculty, and administrators, the piece explores how Knight’s investments go far beyond funding — supporting research centers, innovative classrooms, and faculty positions that directly respond to the challenges facing journalism today, from the collapse of local news to the rise of artificial intelligence and changing audience habits.

Embryo donation provides new route to parenthood 

Embryo donation allows unused IVF embryos to help others build families, with about 1.5 million frozen in the U.S. While it offers hope for infertility, it raises emotional and ethical concerns about genetic ties. Growing awareness, support networks and medical advances continue shaping decisions around this complex family-building option.

What is Media Hub?

UNC Media Hub is a cohort of students from various concentrations within UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media who collaborate to produce top-tier integrated media packages covering stories across North Carolina.

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