Freelance journalist in North Carolina who writes longform stories about political, social, and environmental issues. Web site: http://barryyeoman.com. Newsletter: http://barry-yeoman.beehiiv.com. Teaching: Duke, Wake Forest. https://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3ml6tpkc4ok2nDarcey Steinke, author of This is the Door, reflects on aging: "I am filled with wonder more. I see, say, bare branches before a streetlight in the dark and it just sends me. I can feel the sorrow people carry. I am less self-consumed." @oldstermag.bsky.social H/T @saribotton.bsky.social https://oldster.substack.com/p/this-is-63-darcey-steinke-responds06 May 2026 13:48 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml6tpkc4ok2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3ml5lqzbjzc2aIn August, @charlesbethea.bsky.social tailed a van containing 9 blindfolded men. Each had paid $3,000 to join a 3-day program called RISE, which offered them an opportunity to crawl through mud, carry heavy objects, and, as its website says, “CHANGE YOUR STORY & UNF**K YOUR LIFE.” @newyorker.com https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/06/the-camps-promising-to-turn-you-or-your-son-into-an-alpha-male06 May 2026 01:53 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5lqzbjzc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3ml4chqxwoc27For most a decade, Jim Rodenbush was the adviser to the Indiana Daily Student. He was fired last October, after resisting a directive from Indiana University to stop students from printing hard news. Then he became a national hero. @coreyhutchins.bsky.social @columjournreview.bsky.social https://www.cjr.org/analysis/indiana-campus-newspaper-adviser-jim-rodenbush-fights-daily-student-soul-country.php05 May 2026 13:34 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4chqxwoc27https://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mkoiqj63uk2nFilmmaker Noah Hawley's account of being invited to Jeff Bezos' private retreat in 2018 is as delicious and insightful as promised. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/05/billionaire-consequence-free-reality/686588/?gift=0PQ1xa3tEYOolszOhcI5btDtaIX7UDK0b0Y-OiaffbE&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share30 Apr 2026 01:49 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkoiqj63uk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mkn2ulvqq22vProud of my student Jothi Gupta, who published this article in @theassemblync.bsky.social about a decades-long effort, led by Duke University scientists, to develop an AIDS vaccine—and what happened when the Trump administration pulled the funding plug. https://www.theassemblync.com/news/education/higher-education/trump-cuts-threaten-two-decades-duke-hiv-vaccine-research/29 Apr 2026 12:08 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkn2ulvqq22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mkgsp4yqzc2p🧵Last week, a friend asked me to name my favorite project ever. I didn't hesitate. "The Gutbucket King," I said: my 2013 longform profile of the New Orleans blues guitarist Little Freddie King. In the 1950s, as a teenager, King jumped on a moving freight train heading south from Macomb MS. (1/6) https://barryyeoman.com/2013/12/the-gutbucket-king-little-freddie-king/27 Apr 2026 00:26 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkgsp4yqzc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mkdctdytic2h"The experience stunned Ms. Ross-Mahé, who previously considered herself a supporter of President Trump and so admired his policy to deport illegal immigrants that she thought it should be adopted in France. 'I thought that when we arrested them, we would treat them properly.'" By Catherine Porter. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/25/us/french-ross-mahe-ice-detention.html?smid=bs-share&fbclid=IwY2xjawRZtP5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFJZHozT2lna0JxclBUOEtZc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHtlo1Hj6rGm0d-kiWi5dwG8QE58fvcDu0sB4aBJ5-daVCm2KtbWYXGEvomlZ_aem_p49azLe3TXzsY_8NT1Ej_A25 Apr 2026 15:04 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkdctdytic2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mk4zqpuslk2wIn 2019, a North Carolina state trooper killed Brandon Webster, claiming self-defense. Evidence contradicted that account but wasn’t made public — until now. @josephneff.bsky.social @themarshallproject.org @theassemblync.bsky.social #ncpol https://www.themarshallproject.org/2026/04/22/north-carolina-trooper-shooting23 Apr 2026 03:05 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk4zqpuslk2whttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mjn5us6iu22lMy student Max Tendler has produced a tremendous series of articles for WUNC about the abuse suffered by Black trans women in the North Carolina prison system. I am so proud of her. Here's Part 1. #ncpol https://www.wunc.org/race-class-communities/2026-04-15/black-transgender-women-report-abuse-north-carolina-prisons16 Apr 2026 19:37 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjn5us6iu22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mjmf2qu2hk25My stories rarely spark immediate tangible reforms. So it was gratifying when our investigation of the dollar-store industry, published by @theguardian.com, led the Utah legislature to pass a new law cracking down on chronic overchargers. With @jocelynzuck.bsky.social, @michaelwhudson.bsky.social. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/16/dollar-stores-overcharge-customers-utah-law-penalty16 Apr 2026 12:13 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmf2qu2hk25https://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mjg6ymcl7c2jFor members of North Carolina's Lumbee tribe, the days leading up to Christmas were a time to revel in their new federal recognition. Sarah Nagem explores what the new status means for the tribal and regional economy. Published by @theassemblync.bsky.social and Border Belt Independent. https://www.theassemblync.com/news/politics/lumbee-federal-recognition-casino-nc14 Apr 2026 01:08 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjg6ymcl7c2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mjcwmkntlk2gWith the first North Carolina Buc-ee’s slated to open in 2027, @katemedley.bsky.social visited the next closest location in South Carolina. She talked with local store owners about how Buc-ee’s affected their business and how they've adapted. And she took gorgeous photos. @theassemblync.bsky.social https://www.theassemblync.com/news/business/local-gas-stations-buc-ees-south-carolina12 Apr 2026 18:00 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjcwmkntlk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mixccwlhe22fPodcast recommendation: @serialproductions.bsky.social's five-part series "The Idiot." Host @mashagessen.bsky.social tells the story of what happened to their family when their “international businessman” cousin was arrested for a horrific crime. https://www.nytimes.com/column/the-idiot08 Apr 2026 02:58 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mixccwlhe22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mhwjtjc42k27Grateful to be honored, with @jocelynzuck.bsky.social, for our @theguardian.com investigation of two dollar-store chains. As the cost of living soars, we found, the prices listed on shelves often don’t materialize at checkout. The customers bearing the burden are those who can least afford it. (1/2) https://sabew.org/2026/03/2025-best-in-business-awards/26 Mar 2026 02:14 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhwjtjc42k27https://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mhqdkd6vys2vThis was my introduction to a corner of the manosphere called Looksmaxxers: young men who will do anything to improve their appearances, from mail-order hormones to hammering their faces. @bernstein.bsky.social @nytimes.com https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/style/clavicular-looksmaxxing-braden-peters.html?unlocked_article_code=1.VVA.EpoP.sOoWP2V-gJuq&smid=url-share23 Mar 2026 15:06 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhqdkd6vys2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mhin2vbl7c24“I don’t know that I see that quality of male friendship very often. I don’t know how much in everyday life men really lean on each other and care for each other.” By John Drescher in @theassemblync.bsky.social. https://www.theassemblync.com/news/culture/books/heart-the-lover-lily-king-real-friendship20 Mar 2026 13:35 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhin2vbl7c24https://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mhchzppolk2rThe majority of the agricultural workforce in some Mississippi Delta communities appears to be South Africans, writes @boyceupholt.bsky.social. “If this program went away tomorrow, farming would cease,” one grower said. Published by @thefern.org and @newyorker.com. [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Mar 2026 02:49 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhchzppolk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mhboiwxx5k2x"She came in and she rubbed me for luck. She literally went, 'Hi, Bronagh, happy Paddy's Day.' Rub, rub, rub. 'Why are you not wearing green?' "I said, 'I'm mourning the commercialization of my national saint's day.'" John Noltner interviews Northern Ireland public historian Bronagh McAtasney. https://apeaceofmymind.org/2026/01/01/bronagh-mcatasney/17 Mar 2026 19:12 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhboiwxx5k2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mh7ts6atz22aEvery story I've written over the past quarter-century has cost thousands to publish. This shouldn't come as a surprise to Washington Post execs. Enterprising articles take weeks or even months to research. They require travel, document dives, photography. That's the nature of serious journalism. [contains quote post or other embedded content]17 Mar 2026 01:41 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mh7ts6atz22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mh5hjzu55s2zPavel Talankin, the educator at the center of "Mr. Nobody Against Putin," risked everything to show the world what was happening inside Russian schools after the invasion of Ukraine. I'm so happy the documentary won an Oscar—while also acknowledging the terrific competition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAW7K1YN6Xc16 Mar 2026 02:57 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mh5hjzu55s2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/barryyeoman.com/post/3mgx6zgcxyk26The time Michael Moore got booed for speaking out against the Iraq war at the Oscars. @nytimes.com @mmflint.bsky.social https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/03/12/magazine/oscar-academy-award-michael-moore-speech.html?unlocked_article_code=1.S1A.8kgd.rZLKq9PDQIsZ&smid=url-share&fbclid=IwY2xjawQhB3tleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEwOUVSVlduZnNPNTJpbW55c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkrCbwLSxbU36S9YCWD0tT0Q_Gz7aRpHrU1-0ghxHswBPiJj0nLKktJcpPCm_aem_yfgyxFdzwOFLwCCtIcx6TQ13 Mar 2026 15:08 +0000at://did:plc:xc4zypdrcrocaxtfdvqqwulq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgx6zgcxyk26