We get that Josh Wolf is still high off of all the publicity he got for being the longest imprisoned "journalist" in U.S. history. For those unaware, Wolf spent 226 days in federal prison for protecting his source materials.
But why the fuck is he running for mayor of San Francisco?
We guess that question is about as stupid as seeing Wolf's name on the ballot. He's doing it for the publicity of course. And we guess we're giving him what he wants.
That's not going to stop us from tearing him a new one via the written word.
Let us pause for a moment to say that we're aware that Wolf has no chance of winning. We're close to this subject because Wolf, a fellow former SF State attendee, gives the entire journalism department a bad name; not that it had a particularly stellar reputation in the first place. But still.
People like Wolf are why journalists are held in such low regard.
On the surface the actions that landed Wolf in jail seem almost noble: a stalwart young "journalist" takes a fall for the sake of his profession and 1st amendment rights. But let's call it as it really is. Wolf shot footage in a public place, an anarchist protest in San Francisco's Mission District to be exact, and when subpoenaed he refused to comply. There is a difference between protecting sources/abiding by the journalistic code of ethics and withholding information for the sake of withholding information. Our opinion is Wolf did the latter.
Let's not confuse things. We stand firmly in favor of shield laws; and think they should be federally instated. And we're not saying Wolf deserved to endure 7 + months of incarceration; not unless being a high-and-mighty bastard is a crime.
The truth is Wolf had a reputation at SF State for being hotheaded and for not necessarily being morally apt.
We won't get into the whole debate about whether Wolf met the criteria for being considered a journalist. We don't want to piss off the blogger community. However, we will say he gave up on studying journalism, at the college level, opting instead to get a degree in psychology. We don't think a press pass is a journalist requirement. And we do believe there are legitimate bloggers.
But Wolf made a mockery out of the journalist community; and now he's trying to do it to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Isn't SF a big enough mess; what with rampant homelessness, football stadium complications, a sky-high homicide rate and a presiding mayor who likes the sauce and married women? If current policy makers can't manage to secure citywide wi-fi, imagine what things would be like if Wolf were mayor.
We're almost certain that the extent of Wolf's political background is exploiting the media and taking public sympathy for all it's worth. Did we mention he's only 25?
Besides, the guy just looks like a douche bag.
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