The media frenzy over the unmasking of Columbia College professor (and Reader alumnus) Dan Sinker as the man behind the hilarious, irreverent, and groundbreaking @mayoremanuel Twitter saga has not only dominated the headlines for the last 24 hours, it’s generated questions of what Sinker’s nom de plume means for journalism.
Fellow Columbia prof and Vocalo blogger Jim DeRogatis has set the stage for an awkward staff meeting by excoriating Sinker and @mayoremanuel as a pro-Emanuel conspiracy, a “one-note joke,” and a new low for online journalism. DeRogatis writes that the adventures of @mayoremanuel sully the memory of Sinker’s journalistic exploits at the seminal Punk Planet.