Thank You
Back in July 2007 I showed up at HuffPost's Manhattan office with a suitcase packed with enough clothes to get me through the month while I looked for an apartment and launched OffTheBus. Even before our official launch many of you were peppering my inbox with emails, wanting to know what you could do to help. Among that initial circle of my newfound friends and acquaintances were Mayhill Fowler -- who later rocked the campaigns and campaign journalism with what we now know as "Bittergate"; Beverly Davis -- a veteran reporter who provided invaluable insight into the role that citizen journalists could play on the trail; Richard Riehl -- the editor of the much loved Roadkill, that tasty, daily collection of candidate gaffes; and Ethan Hova -- a Shakespearean actor from Los Angeles who co-wrote our first big story, "Romney Buys Conservatives."
Sixteen months later and our network has grown by the thousands. The staff also grew, as I was joined by Marc Cooper, Neil Nagraj, John Tomasic, and Hanna Ingber Win and intern Gabriel Beltrone. Mayhill, Beverly, Richard, and Ethan have been joined by a remarkable cast of home-makers, retired journalists, aspiring journalists, lawyers and doctors, actors and actresses, some curmudgeons and, yes, a few professional journalists. New friends are now old friends, and old friends are friends forever.
Together we have been credited with creating the genre of citizen journalism (New York Magazine). You have broken some of the election cycle's biggest scoops. You have also been described - by none other than the New York Times - as a "force in journalism."
We -- Marc, John, Hanna, Neil, Gabriel, Amanda -- couldn't be more proud of what we have all achieved together.
For just this once we are not going to ask you to write or report anything. Celebrate! Break out that champagne, beer, or wine (or for those young enough or so inclined, a coffee or chocolate cake) and make a toast! Or two. Or three.
Journalism isn't and never has been a monolithic craft. The profession has a rich and varied history that often gets lost in defensive justifications of the status quo. In this election cycle journalism as we know it evolved tremendously, and you played no small role in it. A unique breed of citizen journalists -- at OffTheBus and elsewhere -- opened up public access to information that conventional reporters cannot.
Yay!
If that toast turns you tipsy and you're inclined to express yourself in print, make your way to the comment thread below.
Here's to OffTheBus!
~ Amanda, Marc, John, Hanna, Neil, and Gabriel
Follow Amanda Michel on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AmandaRMichel
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See Dwight Dunkley's Profile
It may sound corny to say it but OffTheBus was an unique opportunity that is proving to be a seminal moment in my life. It really brought me back to the recognition that this activity, journalistic political commentary, is one of the few things about which I am perennially passionate.
I can't thank you enough for helping me to see it.
See M.S. Bellows, Jr.'s Profile
Thanks for giving us this forum, Amanda. I'm having a hard time processing all my feelings about OTB's rise and demise -- though gratitude for all you, John, the other editors, and all my colleagues and writers have given to me predominates. I'm sad, too, but wouldn't be so sad if what you built weren't so valuable. So: Amanda, John, Marc, Jay, everyone from HuffHouse in Denver, everyone who wrote, read, commented, corrected -- thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
I wrote more about my feelings, a goodbye and a challenge -- email just came in saying it went up (thanks for that, too!) -- so here it is: my final blogwhore!
"After the Sweet Potato Pie, Under the Tough Old Stars: A Goodbye to Off The Bus, And a Call To Continue the Work."
http://www
It was an impressive undertaking and I hope you continue in some way offering a place for citizen observations. We are in for an interesting ride, no question in my mind at all about that.
I was nowhere near as prolific as I normally would have been, but an unfortunate encounter with my grandson's toybox resulted in a badly broken arm (ten pieces...c
But I could read, and read I did...than
Anne
I want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of the citizen journalists who shared their campaign experiences with the rest of us. I am homebound but through your wonderful reports, I felt part of things. You made me laugh and you made me cry buckets but above all, you made me PROUD to be an American. What all of you did represents the very best of a democratic society. I have already shared my vision of America on President-elect Obama's new website, www.change
Dear OfftheBus drivers
Amanda, Marc, John, Hanna, Neil, Gabriel and everyone else that made OfftheBus the stop to get on, Wonderful. Thank you, I enjoyed participating and being the first around here to know what was happening. I sounded so intellectual at times, my family was left scratching their heads. I know though times are ahead and a lot of the hoopla will die down, criticism will start and we need to remain vigilant and supportive for this is all about the People and I mean the People of the world. So rest but don’t abandon bus
There's no underestimating the power of this presence - as a vehicle to interpret, monitor and bring alive the nuances of this election. More than a state-of-the-art personal place to dialogue with today's events. The Huffpo fought back and brought back democracy in media. We're here, unencumbered. And that is huge.
As Amy Sedaris said: "It all began with just three words. Make it better."
Yes. We. Can
Make. It. Better.
I. Can't. Wait.
http://emc
See Sandy Kaczmarski's Profile
This has been tremendous fun, and through the "ning," I have made some great friends from around the planet. It never occurred to me that with the election, the citizen election coverage would end. Duh. As Gail Mellor said, there are many other stories post-election that need to be continued and there are plenty of us out there ready with the rest of the story. We can call it something else, but we'll still be plugging away dissecting the day's stories.
Off the bus was such a great name. How about continuing with Get on the bus, Run with the bus, Ahead of the bus, New bus route...
OK. I'll let it rest.
Hello Amanda, my bio has been submitted to Huffington Post and one of my citizen editorial cartoons published in Weekly Review by Chris Nelson. I am writing to suggest that Huffington extend to citizen editorial cartoonists the same consideration extended to citizen journalists who use text. I have submitted to Hanna the concept of Hufftoons and think she may have the entries available, if not I will resubmit. Citizen cartoonists are in exactly the same position text journalists were in before Huffington provided a venue for them. As it stands in the world of editorial cartooning the flow of work to the general population is controlled by about 6 or 7 major syndicates and included herein are Hearst, Murdock and the publications of Major General Electric, [see the maj gen on my site] and visit site at http://www
Personally, I think that is a good idea about the cartoons, especially if they re-vamp, re-name Off the Bus.
Amanda....
Thanks for all you do. Because of all of you, I saw a rich fabric of our country represented in this historic Presidential Election, and all of you explained what was happening out there while I continued to make phone calls in three different campaign offices in the Fort Lauderdale FL area, beginning in last December of 2007 and lasting right up til 6:00 p.m. on November 4th.
Thank you all for seeing us through the ups and downs of polls numbers and dissecting the news from the MSM with humor and truth. Because of all of you, I am richer today; not in money, but in feelings and my heart is full for the Future of America as we move into this "new era" and inaugurate our next President in January of 2009.
Obama promised to help the middle class and the poor, so How can Obama help get us out of this Financial CRISIS and help average people?
An Answer: HOMEOWNER Walk Aways and bankruptcies are Feeding the banks bad loans which are in turn wiping out the Banks ability to loan!
We do not need another stimulus as that had little effect!
Banks have a choice get 45% to 60% or get next to nothing!
By giving Homeowners a low interest loan to replace a 10% to 15% loan will give people lots of money to spend and stimulate the economy for months to come!
The only way to end this CRISIS is to stop the hemorrhaging of Home Mortgage Walk-Aways!
Every day we wait it gets worse as people walk and homes depreciate!
The best stimulus package is to solve that FIRST!
Technology can also help remove the Mortgage Company layer with automated loans from Fannie and Freddie and provide lower rates to stabilize the housing market!
See Gail McGowan Mellor's Profile
Hi Guys.
What a superb job.
While Obama was reinventing campaigning, and a rising grassroots was reinventing America, you were reinventing journalism. .(My only problem is that I've got post-election election stories burning inside me and cannot push SEND. That is my problem and I'll deal with it.) Rest, relax, pamper yourselves senseless. You deserve it.
With deep respect and affection,
Gail
Lit's not abandon the ground game! Keep grassroots activism alive! President-elect Obama will need our contimued support. As a matter of fact we need each other's support. The smears and misinformation will continue and we need to continue to network and set them straight. Without the internet, and the Obama grass roots supporters I would not have been able to educate many of my friends and family who were hooked by the smear campaign, hate and Sarah hype.
If the jubilation across the world over Obama’s stupendous victory is an indicator of world sentiment, then the world is anticipating an era of progress and cooperation—in effect the reverse of the bellicosity and unilateralism of eight years of the Bush administration.
But perhaps even more than his polices, Obama has emerged as a symbol of all that the peoples of the world have cherished: The brotherhood of man and that genuine democracy will succeed some day
The American dream needs to be saluted. It is the capability of a people to look inwards in facing their demons and rectifying the wrongs of the past that must be commended. No, you have done much more. A once slave-owning nation has shown the world that it can exceed these expectations. By reposing confidence in one of your sons who does not look or speak like the majority of you, you have crossed all barriers of race, class and creed. America is once again poised to assume the moral leadership of the world. Eight years of soul-searching and two bloody wars later, young Americans are looking to the future with an increased emphasis on humanistic principles, and who better to symbolize their ideals than an African-American of humble origins with “Hussain” as his middle name? Obama is the voice of the future, elected in large part by the generation of the future, one that is tired of bigotry and strife and wishes to change the world for the better.
Even though circumstances have dictated that I've mostly just been an observer, the little bit I did get to participate in the OffTheBus projects was incredible fun and provoked a sense of pride in the fact that we were contributing something of quality to the coverage. Thanks to all of you at HuffPost for shepherding us along, and I hope you're planning to keep this going now that the election is (finally) over!
I will continue to follow your postings because there come a day soon that many of you will see that the "chosen one" is only human and the media and many in his party will turn on him. He will be the President of the "whole United States" and not just your party. He would say whatever it took to get elected, and he will make decisions that many will not agree with. The same thing happened to Mr. Bush. The honeymoon will last a few months, and then the tone of your blogs will change.
I have stated for months that the only "change" that that we will truly see in this country will be the opinions of those who voted for him when they realize that they made a huge mistake.
Sorry Sir or Madame Cynicism..
What we did think --is that it is an opportunity for the country to work TOGETHER! To get rid of the arrogance, the hatred, the targeting, the "gotcha attitude," the divisiveness, the "our way or the highway" philosphy that has become the Republican party.
I don´t think any of the very savvy people here are the least bit naieve and don´t know there is work to be done, but it is naieve to think that this Country could have gone on in the direction it was going without severe consequences, that my friend, would have been the collosal mistake! "
Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama are separated by miles in thought, sensibilities, knowledge of the world, insignt, foresight, and prescience and simply cannot be compared.
Neither America nor the World made a mistake..
Aw, never figured out how to get my little orange stripe!! Feel I earned it though.
I sure have enjoyed filing for this breakthrough blog, having a tally to know how many readers click my posts, reading informed and sometimes venomous feedback, and being able to comment freely without the bogus tone of impartiality and disconecttedness that the MSM requires, (an analyst said....)
I am presently stuck in Gaza, but hope to be able to get back to Jerusalem tonight. People on the street seem suddenly welcoming to us interlopers with American accents, and Arabs here were having their cynicism tested,...
Never would have blogged for free if I did not loathe what Bush& co had done to my cherished nation. We got neo-conned. And had organized religion stirred into the political and campaign pots. And don't even get me started on Palin.
Still, I am inspired in a way. Wondering if this gig will pay somehow, or if we all are supposed to use the engine of passion. I also liked the OTB forum with some hilarious Americans, incl lapsed baptist ex-hippie cynics like me.
It's a beautiful thing to see the internet used this way, as a truly democratic voice of the people. It's been an honor to contribute and and enjoyment to read all the diverse blogs. I commend you and thank you for the opportunity. May it continue and grow.
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