A Chat with Amanda Michel

Chatting with former Off the Bus editor Amanda Michel, who is now working for propublica, was a great opportunity to get inside the world of citizen journalism.

Mayhill Fowler was the citizen journalist that got Bill Clinton to go off on Purdum for the article written in Vanity Fair. (The whole story here). She approached him after a rally as he walked down the red roped line and spoke to who he assumed were all Hillary Clinton supporters. Since that time with someone like Bill Clinton at a rally is so short, Mayhill didn't have enough time to identify herself as a reporter. Although I think it is always best to identify oneself as a reporter when it is appropriate, it does not mean Mayhill was going against journalistic ethics and standards. She did not try to trick the former president or approach him in a private setting, but rather at a public rally where he should be accountable for his words. Maybe her question was a little leading, but politicians are responsible for whatever comes out of their mouths, not just their thirty second sound bites that are put on the nightly news.

Michel spoke about how Fowler received a lot of public criticism for reporting the infamous Huffington Post "bittergate" story, regarding Obama's comment about rural pennsylvania. Many people felt that Fowler betrayed democrats by reporting this story, however a real independent journalist is not afraid of blowing this whistle on both sides when necessary. This was something the public should know about and it shouldn't be kept secret for fear of messing up a political candidate's campaign.

Michel also talked about how people showed up at Fowler's house and she was being attacked as an individual reporter, something that mainstream journalist don't have to worry about as much. I thought Michel's point about having a news organization backing you up was interesting and something I had not fully considered before hearing her talk about it. Citizen journalists, those who are truly seeking the truth, do enter themselves into the public eye and must realize the potential danger they are putting themselves in, especially those with a large readership, who have a certain expectation about content. Jeremy Scahill faced similar obstacles when he began criticizing Obama's picks for cabinet members.