Here’s a report on a citizen journalist who is making waves, and with some original reporting. He might be the Drugde of Colorado.
The Web site was started in late 2003 by Jeffco resident Mark Zinna, apparently in retaliation for what he felt was unfair treatment by the county government on a business deal. Zinna attends almost every Jeffco government public meeting, and his Web site has become a venue for county employees who want to leak information about government misconduct.It’s not blogging, but it again displays the egalitarian power of the Web.
Earlier this year, somebody faxed Zinna libelous materials, apparently attempting to injure the reputation of some county employees, and perhaps also to undermine Jeffco Exposed by tricking it into printing false information and making it vulnerable to a libel suit. But Zinna didn’t bite. (This puts him ahead of Dan Rather in journalistic acumen.) Instead, Zinna traced the faxes back to the stores from which they were sent. Zinna says the stores’ surveillance tapes appear to show the tapes being sent by Jeffco Commissioner Rick Sheehan, his wife, and Assistant County Attorney Cynthia Beyer-Ulrich.