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Maybe online anonymity should be a thing of the past. Consider this case:

A journalist named Mary Spicuzza, distraught because her sister Jeanne Marie Spicuzza was roughed up online at Wikipedia, went after the guy that did it and tried to unmask him in a newspaper article she wrote for a San Francisco newspaper called the SF Weekly.

Unfortunately for her and for all of us who believe that online anonymity is a frace, she had to resign from her newspaper after writing the story for violating "journalistic ethics." Nevertheless, it was a valient effort on her part, especially in light of the fact that her sister was mentally ill. Can you imagine attacking a mentally ill person, anonymously or otherwise.

You can read about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive372 (scroll to "Tawdry Tabloid Journalist")

An Open Letter to the Wikimedia Foundation

To Whom It May Concern:

I do not participate on Wikipedia, nor do I use it as a source. I am none of the persons I am being accused of and do not suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as MPD. My attorney, Richard Rosenthal, has been supplied with these facts along with a request that all false claims, slanderous remarks and defaming content concerning me be removed promptly from the site. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Jeanne Marie Spicuzza

Comment by Jeanne Marie Spicuzza — February 13, 2008 @ 04:04PM

I edited this story and I can assure you that Mary did not get fired for this story or any other. Mary decided to leave the paper to take a job with a local documentary filmmaker. She gave her notice before the Wikipedia story was published. She disclosed to me early in the reporting process her sister's fights with Griot and her sister's role is mentioned high up in our story. Bottom line: We stand by the story.

Comment by Will Harper, Managing Editor, SF Weekly — February 26, 2008 @ 01:55PM

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Well, I'm afraid not. The journalist was asked to leave her position -- told to "clean out her desk by the end of the day."

Frankly, I think it's terrible unfair. Mary Spicuzza should still be pursuing her excellent journalism practice. I guess she tread on the toes of someone important, but we should all cheer her for trying.

I edited this story and I can assure you that Mary did not get fired for this story or any other. Mary decided to leave the paper to take a job with a local documentary filmmaker. She gave her notice before the Wikipedia story was published. She disclosed to me early in the reporting process her sister's fights with Griot and her sister's role is mentioned high up in our story. Bottom line: We stand by the story.

Comment by Will Harper, Managing Editor, SF Weekly — February 26, 2008 @ 01:55PM

Interesting. We recently studied the Mary Spicuzza/Wikipedia case in our journalism class. I personally think bending traditional journalism ethical rules in the persuit of a good story isn't necessarily bad, but my professor was adament that Mary Spicuzza had done the wrong thing by using her newspaper's resources in the service of what she thought was a personal matter (apparently the Spicuzza family had some kind of longstanding vendetta against the Wikipedia editor). Anyhow, this is becoming a textbook case of journalistic ethics.

Marc Salomon

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Wow, it would be great to get the specifs on that alleged class and it's alleged professor, Savoy.

What is the best way to contact the owner of this blog?

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An "alleged" professor. Events can be "alleged" but not people -- we learned that in my journalism class.

Yes, the professor was quite adament about Mary Spicuzza violating traditional journalism standards, and he used her as example of how the profession is being denigrated by those who practice it, and how upcoming journalists should try to stick to the old standards for the sake of the profession. This Mary Spicuzza person is apparantly a pariah in journalism and can no longer get a job.

In my existential philosophy class, we talked about how Savoy is alleged. A textbook case, the professor said.