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Jeff Bergosh

26 bytes added, 20:51, 25 November 2007
"Godzilla" controversy: Significant edits including presenting Bergosh's claims as Bergosh's claims and not established certainties
=="Godzilla" controversy==
On [[October 4]], [[2007]], the ''[[Pensacola News Journal]]'' published an article by reporter [[Sara Rabb]] that revealed Bergosh had been posting comments on the [[pnj.com]] forums under the pseudonym "[[Wikipedia:Godzilla|Godzilla]]." Rabb contends that she had noticed that "Godzilla's" posts were similar to the views expressed by Bergosh at School Board meetings, and she was able to confirm with the website's administrator that Bergosh's personal email address had indeed been used to register the account. Rabb requested an interview with Bergosh on [[October 2]], [[2007]], to discuss Teacher teacher salaries and Merit Paymerit pay. At the interview, Rabb confronted Bergosh with the IT data from the PNJ her findings and indicated that the PNJ ''News Journal'' wanted to run a story on thisthe pseudonym. Bergosh admitted, his pseudonym "off the record" to the persona when confronted by Rabb, but issued an official denial.<ref name="whois">"Who is schools' 'Godzilla?'" ''Pensacola News Journal'', October 4, 2007.</ref> Bergosh officially confirmed the online identity during an [[October 8]] "[[IN Your Head Radio]]" interview on [[AM 1620]].<ref>[http://ricksblog.biz/?p=2490 Bergosh=Godzilla]</ref>
Bergosh was scrutinized criticized in subsequent ''News Journal'' editorials for a number of the comments he made as Godzilla, which included:*a claim that schools in the lower-income [[Escambia County District 3|District 3]] were a statistical drag on the district's performance. This Bergosh contends that his quote came from an online discussion comparing demographics of Escambia County with neighboring counties that "do not contend with these same social issues". *a suggestion that governments should "do away with compulsory education beyond grade 8. … Build more prisons and get ready for the influx, but let's keep school a positive environment for students who WANT to come to school!!"<ref name="whois"/> This Bergosh contends that his quote came from an online discussion regarding attendance issues among some Escambia County middle school students who had "reached age 16, had not yet graduated 8th grade, did not want to be in school, and who were tremendous [had] discipline problems."
*criticism of teachers' unions for "roadblocking districts every step of the way" in a debate over teacher merit pay. In the same debate, Bergosh (as Godzilla) complimented himself in the [[Wikipedia:Third-person narrative|third person]]: "I know we can count on Board member Bergosh to be there and vote to keep the bonus money here in Pensacola. I know he is not going to genuflect, bow down and kiss the union ring, and give the union what they want."<ref name="whois"/> When the School Board voted 4-1 against the existing merit pay plan, Godzilla said he could hear their "spines breaking in unison."<ref name="outing">[http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/outing_godzilla.php Outing Godzilla: An Internet crack in the Chinese wall.] ''Columbia Journalism Review'', October 16, 2007.</ref>