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 Myra Armstrong's Profile
It was an honor to be able to contribute to this wonderful "freedom of speech" experience, and to help our democracy to work better. I hope that we can, through this forum, continue with our efforts, and contribute to a very successful Obama administration and to a renewal of our nation.
Thank you for the opportunity to express ourselves through this online venue. It has been quite a journey and I am exhausted emotionally and physically. But now, I have to get back on my creative bicycle and get back to my own reality. While on this political ride, my new book -- Ramblings Through the Attic of Though --twas publlished and is now available on Amazon. Anyone interested in something not political, I'd love to find out what you think. The pre-pub reviews have been great. You can get it in print :
http://www.amazon.com/RAMBLINGS-THROUGH-ATTIC-THOUGHT-Joyce/dp/098
or in e-book format:
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/eBookDetails.asp?BookID=122002
What a run this has been! What a novel Huffington concept, the Nouveau Hunter Thompson School of Gonzo Journalism!
For a small town Southern columnist, the OTB experience has been a chance to write with a candor unthinkable on the op-ed page in the Deep South. That freedom has been heady stuff and I suspect withdrawal symptoms (having nothing to do with alcohol consumption) will follow whatever beer, wine or other sprits we're all raising now in celebration.
Thanks so much Amanda, Marc, Hanna and Gabriel. Special thanks to Neil, who knew exactly where I lived and understood, and to John--who made the change a seamless one. Staff have been unfailingly responsive and supportive every step of the way. I'll miss this page. More importantly, I'll miss those of you who made it work so well.
The chance for another native South Carolinian to follow the political process in SC, or lack thereof, through your pen was a priceless gift, Linda. You told the story that has needed to be told for, forever really, through an unvarnished, unwavering, unfiltered perspective. Your work is, like this entire OTB endeavor, historic. I see our beloved Palmetto moon in many new ways now... even from Atlanta. (Say that last sentence with a Palin accent and I'll come kick your butt into Georgia!) I hope to have the privilege of paying OUR bar tab when I next cross the state line into home.
Thanks to the staff and all the volunteer reporters as well. You added a lot of flavor, perspective and info to the election outside of the standard cycles. It was a great addition to the election process and I hope that the tradition will continue as I think we're in for an exciting, if not at least a very interesting, four years ahead.
Cheers and thanks to all involved!
See Jane Devin's Profile
I would also like to extend my thanks to the OTB team, and in particular to Hanna Ingber Win for her great communication and shared enthusiasm.
I've written over 170 stories so far this year, but the most gratifying have been the nine published here. The HuffPo reading community is one of the most articulate, passionate, and well-informed I have ever had the pleasure to engage with. While every writer wants their work to be read, HuffPo also offers the rare opportunity for instant feedback, support, discussion, and even argument. The energy that comes from that has been exceptional and inspiring -- a bonus I did not expect.
I have long admired Ariana and the writers, journalists, celebrities, bloggers, and citizen journalists who make the Huffington Post the excellent source of information it is, and I have never felt in better company.
Thank you Zack Exley for turning me onto the Huffington Post and to the Off the Bus Campaign.
It has been a fun ride for sure. I was already a cynical alternative media type of person to begin with but being part of such an awesome "in the field" reporting concept while adhering to journalistic integrity was an exciting challenge.
And hey, now you all know that there are open minded intelligent people from blue AND red states.
Here's to YOU OFF THE BUS!!!!
Go get some sleep. Read a trashy novel.
God bless!
Angie Santiago
Durham, NC
See Jacob Alperin-Sheriff's Profile
Thanks so much for having had this opportunity. Getting a story covered by CNN, getting interviewed for a book, (I think) getting my name in a Mozambican newspaper, wow.
Over the past few weeks as I volunteered during the campaign, I asked myself how Thomas Jefferson would have viewed this current election. He would be inspired by Barak Obama as the rest of us are because he knew that our culture would evolve and change and somewhere in the distant future this Country would become a rainbow of people and cultures. That intellect and a desire to know the world beyond the border of our picket fences would consume people like Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin. They laid the foundation of this Country with the ideals that made us the envy of the world.
On the night that Obama won the Democratic Primary I called my Father. Like many of my friends, their Father was the first person they called or thought of at that moment. Why - because the hope of all that our Fathers’ had hoped for us was coming true in him. Barak Obama is the substance of what they hoped for because he is the embodiment of the promise this nation holds.
P.S. I called my Dad tonight too. 11/4/08
I want to add my thanks-it helped when I was going crazy about the election to write and it's been great to send friends and family to my posts-I even had a few professional colleagues tell me they had read my posts . I hope you will consider continuing as "From the Street"- and speaking of streets, Michigan Avenue in Chicago was joyous Tuesday night- I passed the bloggers tent in Grant Park, and in some ways, they were missing the real action where Chicagoans of every color and age grinned at each other and at the police (believe me this might have been a first) , shouted "yes we did!" and celebrated in peace. What a wonderful world it could be---
See Shari Cohen's Profile
Amanda,
Thank YOU for giving so many of us the opportunity to have our voices heard in a forum with national and international reach. I for one, hope that OTB continues onward, allowing ordinary citizens the extraordinary opportunity have a platform to be heard.
Thank you to you and the OTB team for all the behind the scenes work you did, and hopefully will continue to do!
I can't say enough about this terrific experience and how terrific it has been to work with all of you. While I write for a living, having the opportunity to talk about this election is one of the high points in my writing career. and thank you all mysterious techie people who get our stuff up and in one piece. You made us all look good.
Having followed this I could only feel wistful that I didn't have more of a hand in things.
But now? Day 2? *Someone get Rahm a puppy!*
All I can think is that this could be a transformational moment ...
... from here it's just 2 steps to "participatory deliberation". Really.
best / congrats to all hands
--bentrem
the pup's name: bark obama!
That's very good ... very, very good.
Now, perhaps someone more clehvur than I can figure out how to pun in a way that points to Rahm's rather hawkish attitude.
Better Bark with Barack than Bite with Bush?
*Not my strong suit!*
My reflections on our President Elect would not be complete if I did not share a personal story relevant to his success. On June 2, 2007, my oldest granddaughter was married in an Chassidic wedding. One of the customs observed in her milieu is that the bride, before the marital rites are performed, gives a blessing to anyone who requests it. Special power is attributed to it for various reasons. When Suzanne came to me, she said, "My blessing for you, Grandma, is that you will have a president with whom you're happy." (My attitude towards George Bush was well known.) That blessing has borne fruit. I'm very, very happy, Suzanne. Thank you again -- and again and again.
As to the historic significance of an Obama presidency, words are simply inadequate. One must look for it in the tears running down so many cheeks, both black and white. Tears at last of joy but also of aching sorrow that others who longed for this day are not here to witness it. But that's the way life is.
I am not surprised at the momentous rise of Obama to prominence. I knew it was inevitable when I heard him speak at the 2004 Democratic Convention. My remark then was, "He should be the one running for president!" In theater, there are certain actors who are said to have "stage presence." It's an almost mystical quality that sets them apart from the run-of-the-mill thespian. When they are on stage, they seem to fill it, and when they exit, they leave something of themselves behind. They draw the observer into their very being and the two become as one. That's the magic of Obama. It's in his smile that's genuine, not politically supercilious; in his bearing that's erect but not stiff; in his voice that is commanding but not intimidating; in his boyish enthusiasm that is endearing but not immature; in his eyes that pierce one's soul but do not judge what they see; in his sensitivity that is not sentimentality; in his manner of address that is elevated but not condescending. Obama belongs in the Oval Office; Joe the Plumber belongs where he works.
So true...as I wrote in profil - an Austrian weekly newsmagazine - in 2004 when I heard Obama speak...I later spoke with Bob Schrum who told me, "Obama will be the first African American president"...which I included in my article. No one imagined it would be so soon and unfortunately for this country, not soon enough.
As for the grand adventure that is Off-the-Bus?
I signed up, figuring while I was on the trail for my traditional European pubs, I could try my hand at this new communication technology after spending so many years in traditional journalism with days to research, report, and write a story...and what a trip!
I learned a lot thanks to Amanda, Neil, Marc, Jon, and the rest of the OTB team and I thank them profusely for the experience and the opportunity, not to mention meeting Marc and learning that 'playing slots' is for dummies. Marc knows a little something about gambling...and so does Amanda because she gambled on this idea and because of her vision, Ariana's willingness and great editors, something profoundly unique was born.
OK, there weren't any checks but I feel I've been paid in my new friendships and the grand online journey.
Hats off to all the OTB contributors...I loved reading your work!
A special 'thanks' and heartfelt hug to Amanda...wherever you go, whatever I can do...don't hesitate to call...I'll follow you anywhere...wait, give me a few weeks. I'm pooped.
Bev
See Chris Savage's Profile
Wow, marm, that is a beautiful bit of prose.
As a late comer to OTB, I am not ready for it to be over. I am sure we will all have lots to say as things unfold. Thanks for your hard work, very impressive.
These words from the victory speech say it all for me:
Tonight is "the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day."
Barack Obama November 4, 2008
I'll echo everyone else's comments thanking the entire team and sharing our enthusiasm for some sort of continuation or future collaboration. This experience helped me become a better writer, editor, researcher and analyst. I looked forward to writing each article here, and the feedback provided has been insightful and educational. What "Off the Bus" has achieved in terms of elevating new media and citizen journalism will be remembered.
Best wishes, congratulations, and keep in touch!
I have followed this election almost exclusively through HuffPo and OffTheBus has provided lots of insight from people just like me - history has been made in so many ways these past few months.
THANK YOU!
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