Thursday, September 11, 2008

OFFTHEBUS SPECIAL OPS ASSIGNMENT #7: TODAY - Nov. 4, 2008

Hi, 

Below is your next assignment -- 

We're going to ask all OffTheBus members to send us the sleaze and smears showing up in their mailboxes. We need you to take this investigation one step further, and run your own investigation. Email your friends and family asking them to share the offending material with you, and publish it at OffTheBus. 

Best,
Amanda Michel

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OFFTHEBUS SPECIAL OPS ASSIGNMENT #7: TODAY - Nov. 4, 2008 

SITUATION: Smears, hoaxes, and malicious lies are being spread about the presidential candidates through email, fliers, direct mail, and more. What used to be known as a "whisper campaign" is a loud and ferocious force this election season. 

ASSIGNMENT: Email all of your friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues and ask them to pass on any suspect material to you. Collect the samples and send them to us at specialops@huffingtonpost.com, along with a brief paragraph for each piece noting: when it was received, the city/state of the recipient, information about publisher/organization (quick research online), etc.. Or, if you're so inclined, write up a blogpost about the piece. 

We are not just looking for emails! We're looking for pieces sent as supplements in newspapers or direct mail (in the guise of organizational letters, personal notes, etc.) 

If you only have a hard copy, you can send it to us in a few ways: photograph (use digital camera), photocopy and fax, or scan the offending materials. MAKE SURE to write a quick paragraph telling us when you got it, who sent it, and any other information you about the mailing. Fax it to us at (646) 274-2457. If you aren't able to do this at home, consider going to a local printer where you can easily scan the piece and then send us a color digital image. See an example of scanned material - and a post - here: 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/denise-dennis/new-york-times-includes-i_b_125317.html

We have the advantage of size. Let's use it. Hundreds of reliable reports may disclose patterns and trends that elude more traditional reporting techniques.

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