It really wasn’t what they meant by “rage against the machine”, but radio reporter Rachel Buchman (no relation to Paul and Jamie) was fed up with spam and couldn’t take it any more, and when the spam which broke the camel’s back came in from LapTopLobbyist.com, she called them up and left a piece of her mind on the answering machine.
Unfortunately, along with the piece of her mind, she left her work telephone number, prompting LapTopLobbyist to go on a campaign to get Buchman fired from her job as a reporter at Philadelphia radio station WHYY.
And guess what. It worked.
Now, granted, the message which Buchman left was over the top. Way over the top. She wished fire and brimstone on the spammers, and even invoked God’s wrath on their children. It was wrong wrong wrong.
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But there is a certain irony that Buchman worked for the media – that bastion of the 1st amendment – and was fired for a private message which she left on a spammer’s answering machine. And even greater irony that the spamming organization in question is a conservative lobbying group, and their reason for wanting Buchman fired was because she “represented the “liberal media,” and …therefore had no right to report the news.”
And that her liberal radio station actually gave in to their demands.
According to a statement by Buchman in the Philadelphia Weekly, this is what transpired after she left the message on LapTopLobbyist’s answering machine:
“A few days later I received a call on my cell phone from the head of Laptoplobbyist.com. He told me he’d be campaigning to have me fired from my position at WHYY.
I asked him how he knew where I worked. He explained that I’d left my office number. That voicemail gave him my cell phone number.
I could feel a train careening through my head as my stomach hit the ground. I already regretted the message as a personal move, and I had certainly never meant to involve my workplace.
The man said I represented the “liberal media,” and that I therefore had no right to report the news.
The man turned the voicemail I’d left into an mp3 and sent it out to the people on the company’s list, the media and my employer. He’d post it to Laptoplobbyist.com later in the week.
When I received a call from my boss that Sunday night, she explained Laptoplobbyist.com wanted an apology. I told her I’d gladly give one. The apology wasn’t brought up at work the next day when my professional relationship with WHYY ended.”
Now, Aunty asks you, is there anyone in this sad, sordid, spammy story who isn’t in the wrong? LapTopLobbyist for sending the spam in the first place (Buchman swears that she has never had a relationship with them or asked to be on their mailing list, and that repeated unsubscribe attempts brought no relief)? Buchman for leaving the unfortunate answering machine message? WHYY for firing Buchman? LapTopLobbyist for lobbying to get Buchman fired?
Well, look at that, the spammer is listed twice.
You can read more about this in the Wall Street Journal, and [Page no longer available – we have linked to the archive.org version instead].
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