Off the Bus has zero integrity. Despite protestations by its editor, Marc Cooper, the citizen "journalists" continue to make news not cover it. Mayhill Fowler's "scoop" (covered in an excellent diary by carpediva) is based on an inflammatory remark she made to the president (and I didn't hear her identify herself as a journalist or, for that matter, state whether it was on or off the record (and we remember how badly that distinction worked out for Samantha Powers, don't we?)).
And remember Harriet Christian? Angry White Woman #1? Well, she might have had a little help of her own.
Will Bower, another citizen "journalist" at HuffPo had this to say:
In fact, I have a confession to make. It was I who encouraged Harriet to stay and to face the cameras. Each time she wanted to storm from the lobby in a fiery exeunt, it was I who stopped her, consoled her, turned her around, and told her "Your anger needs to be heard, friend. Don't stop."
Did I think that she could have been more coherent at first? Yes, I did. Did I feel that she was flirting with the edge of reason? Yes, I did. Would I have had her change a thing? No, I wouldn't. [Emphasis mine]
This sort of framing is not journalism, it's op-ed given the sheen of authority and respectability by being called journalism. There's really no defense for that. I could go on a rant about it, but reading Marc Cooper's gleeful framing of his editorial approach leads one to believe that Mayhill is to Marc as Harriet Christian was to Will Bower:
I want to say a few words about the author of the piece, Mayhill Fowler. A highly-educated, sophisticated intellectual as well as an ardent Obama supporter, she has become a mainstay of OffTheBus. She employs a highly-personalized, reflective narrative style to her unconventional reporting – an approach that would be, indeed, non-grata, within the official campaign reporting bubble. It violates almost all of the conventions of traditional reporting (though not its ethical code) and that's what makes it all so damn interesting.
I, personally, would have written her piece much differently than the way she chose. It would have been less about me and more about Obama. But Mayhill has developed quite a loyal and appreciative audience and with her most recent work demonstrates that citizen journalism can do many, many things still inaccessible to the MSM. It’s also quite a bit of fun to see how a report like hers can actually set the agenda for the entire national press. I've also been impressed with the way that Mayhill has struggled with her own conscience, her own values and as well her hopes and desires. She was and remains an Obama supporter. And it wasn't easy for her to write a piece that she knew, while truthful and accurate, would nevertheless be used by his political opponents. Not an easy task, I assure you. [crazy html in original, emphasis mine]
What exactly does Marc mean by "citizen journalism can do many, many things still inaccessible to the MSM"? I'm confused here.
For all these citizen "journalists" looking to get their names in the paper, for the MSNBC panel appearances, or that 30 seconds of soundbite fame on CNN I beg you -- GET OFF THE BUS!!!
UPDATED -- to fix Hillary Christian to HARRIET Christian (thanks Integrity is Fundamental!)