Tech & Biz

4. Obama And "Bittergate": 2008 in Review

by Rachel Nixon | December 15, 2008 at 11:57 am

573 views | 19 Recommendations | 3 comments

2008's Top 10 Moments in User-Generated News

1.    Mumbai attacks
2.    Natural disasters: Emergency info
3.    SF Olympic torch relay protests
4.    Obama and “Bittergate”
5.    Protests at Republican Convention
6.    Ushahidi: Crowdsourcing crisis info
7.    CNN’s news wire plans
8.    Mob rule: Mark Zuckerberg at SXSW
9.    Twitter gets student out of Egypt jail
10. Fake report on Steve Jobs heart attack

2008 saw an explosion in the ways we gather, share and consume news. In recognition of this, NowPublic looks back at the 10 most important moments of the year in user-generated news. This is one of them.

Back in April, Obama supporter and blogger Mayhill Fowler reported on the then-senator’s appearance at a private California fundraiser, where he said of small-town voters: “It’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

Having initially stood by his comments, the presidential contender later apologized for any offence.

Fowler’s report was carried by Off the Bus, a groundbreaking experiment between The Huffington Post and NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen aimed at covering the presidential election using citizen journalism.

Obama’s comments were picked up by the mainstream media, and seized upon by his then-rival Hillary Clinton. The story also raised questions about the “secrecy” of political fundraising events, as well as provoking considerable debate about Mayhill Fowler’s own affiliations and motivations.