AP deputy tech editor Jesdanun dies from coronavirus

Associated Press deputy tech editor Nick Jesdanun has died from the coronavirus, numerous sources reported Friday. He was 51.

AP national writer Ted Anthony writes, “Jesdanun, known as Nick, was the first AP reporter to be given the ‘internet writer’ byline two decades ago, when the world was less than 10 years into using the network widely.

“His early work focused on how the internet was changing everything: dating, reading, photography, democracy, access to health care. In 2000, he wrote about how internet-connected devices would be tracking our locations — something that was still years in the future.

“By example, conversation and hands-on editing, Jesdanun, working from a desk renowned for its messiness, taught a generation of AP journalists how to cover technology in ways that were understandable and accessible but unparalleled in their depth.

“‘Nick was the steady bulwark of AP’s tech team for two decades,’ said Frank Bajak, AP’s first technology editor. ‘He had the deepest institutional memory of AP’s tech coverage and patiently educated dozens of novice colleagues in all things digital.'”

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