DURHAM, N.C., June 4 -- North Carolina State University issued the following press release:
As a global investigative reporter for The Associated Press (AP), Michael Biesecker '96 often reflects on a quote by a fictional bartender named Mr. Dooley, who was invented in 1893 by author Finley Peter Dunne as part of a humor column in the Chicago Evening Post. Mr. Dooley is noted for saying "The job of the newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."
This sentiment has resonated with Biesecker throughout his journalism career as he's covered topics like warfare, political corruption and climate change. In 2025 he and a team of Associated Press reporters produced a series of stories titled "Made in America, Watched Worldw...