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[[Image:JeffBergosh.jpg|thumb|right|140px|Jeff Bergosh]]
'''Jeff Bergosh''' is the [[Escambia County School Board]] representative for [[Escambia County District 1|District 1]]. He was elected in [[2006]], filling the seat vacated by his brother [[Gary Bergosh]], who won a [[Circuit Court]] judgeship in the same election. He came under scrutiny fire in [[2007]] for posting controversial comments on the [[pnj.com]] message boards using a under the [[Wikipedia:Pseudonym|pseudonym]]'''Godzilla'''. His identity was outed revealed against his wishes in a ''[[Pensacola News Journal|News Journal]]'' story, without Bergoshwhich cited the website's approvalregistration database as proof, and has sparked sparking discussions about of both the appropriateness of an elected official using a pseudonym and that of a news outlet exposing the identities of posters to what many consider anonymous forums. In over 100 posts to the website using the pseudonym '"Godzilla", Bergosh had defended the quality of Escambia County education, criticized his political opponents, and in one post praised himself in the third personjournalistic ethics.
Bergosh and his wife Sally have three children: Tori, Nicholas and Brandon.
=="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 purportedly 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 salaries and merit pay. At the interview, Rabb confronted Bergosh with her findings and indicated that the ''News Journal'' wanted to run a story on the pseudonym. Bergosh admitted his pseudonym "off he was Godzilla during the record"interview, but then issued an official denialstatement "unequivocally denying" the alter-ego.<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 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. 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"/> 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 [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>
===Reaction & aftermath===
Bergosh accused the ''News Journal'' of "outing" his identity on what he had believed was a safe outlet for anonymous opinion: "When the ''Pensacola News Journal'' created an anonymous forum, encouraging the use of pseudonyms, as to let people take down their guards and speaking in a frank manner regarding political ideas and thoughts, I jumped at the opportunity."<ref name="statement">[http://ricksblog.biz/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/jeff-bergosh.pdf Statement by Bergosh regarding Godzilla]</ref> The publication pointed out that their website's current terms of use reserved "the right to identify you as the author of any of your postings or submissions by name, email address or screen name, as we deem appropriate,"<ref>[http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=TERMS pnj.com Terms of Use]</ref> although this policy may have been altered since Bergosh initially registered.{{fact}} Bergosh asserted that he "never divulged any 'in-house' secrets or committed ANY crime" and that the left-leaning newspaper had engaged in "[[Wikipedia:yellow journalism|yellow journalism]]" as retribution for his conservative opinions, prompting him to "fight for my right to freedom of speech."<ref name="statement"/>
[[Image:BergoshPNJCartoon.jpg|thumb|right|[[Andy Marlette]]'s cartoon & winning caption]]
[[Image:BergoshSchneiderCartoon.jpg|thumb|right|Bergosh's cartoon response]]
The ''News Journal'''s decision to share details of their website registration database with the editorial staff was criticized by many members of the [[pnj.com]] forums and by other publications. According to the [[UWF]] ''[[Voyager]]'', "A bias was inherent in that story — the bias to sell more newspapers."<ref>[http://media.www.thevoyager.net/media/storage/paper977/news/2007/10/11/Opinion/Newspapers.Should.Report.Not.Exploit-3035316.shtml "Newspapers should report, not exploit."] ''The Voyager'', October 11, 2007.</ref> [[Isaac Sabetai]], The online editor for the ''[[Northwest Florida Daily News]]'', called decried the exposé as "bush league."<ref>[http://www.nwfdailynews.com/blog/post/theOnlineEditor/746/Comments-and-Anonymity Comments and Anonymity], October 9, 2007.</ref>
Hostilities continued when the ''News Journal'' held a contest asking readers to submit captions for a cartoon of Bergosh wearing a Godzilla costume. (The winning caption said, "All the School Board costumes were taken!"<ref>[http://pnj.com/graphics/opinion/cartoon_101407_winner.jpg Final cartoon]</ref>) Bergosh countered by offering alternate captions critical of the newspaper's online policy (for example, "Deception <u>is</u> at the core of '<u>anonymous</u>' blogs!!"<ref>[http://jeffbergosh.net/cartoons.html Bergosh's parody cartoons]</ref>) and drawing a caricature of editor [[Dick Schneider]]: