Utah mayor gets caught writing for paper under fake name

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/11/utah-mayor-unmasked-as-fictitious-good-news-reporter/1?loc=interstitialskip

Amazing.

 

I think that reflects much more poorly on the paper than the mayor. They don't bother to check on where they're getting articles from...? I could understand if it was just a release here or there, but eventually I'd want to meet the guy who's been writing for me for two years.

 

Citizen journalism at its best. This is what happens when you try to go cheap. I wonder if the mayor made any money out of the deal, since it was based on page views.

 

From the link:

"He defended his journalistic sleight of hand to The Salt Lake Tribune by invoking the names of other Americans -- Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton -- who published under pen names."

Yeah, but he's forgetting the big difference: The publications knew who was actually writing them, and allowed them to use the pen names. In this case, the publications didn't know who was writing to them, which was stupid on their part.

And, especially in Revolution times, they used pen names so the British wouldn't be able to arrest them.

 

Another shining moment for the Deseret News.

 

Arrest them? Ever hear of Patrick Henry? Give me liberty or give me death. The British gave him death.

 

I guess I better set up a meeting with my top freelancer -- Heywood Jablome.

 

Um, no. Henry lived to 1799.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Henry#Sarah.27s_illness

Maybe you're thinking of Nathan Hale, who was caught spying against the British? He was hung, which is what they did to spies back then.

 

lol Nice.