Mr. Man on the Street Strikes Again

I wrote about Greg Packer, aka the phony Man on the Street, in Hippo Eats Dwarf:

In 2003, media critics noticed that the same man kept popping up time after time in “man on the street” interviews. Greg Packer, a highway maintenance worker from upstate New York, was quoted by The New York Times, the New York Daily News, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the London Times, and other publications. He also appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox. But he was always described as nobody special, just a random person.

Apparently Packer is still going strong. The Philadelphia Daily News admits that they were the latest paper to fall for his act.
(Thanks, Bob!)

Identity/Imposters Journalism

Posted on Wed Nov 04, 2009



Comments

Part of me thinks that Greg Packer is a sad case. Then I remember things like how I faked my way into the Wall Street Journal last year just because I was bored (and a million other things I've done to get my name in print), so who am I to criticize him?
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Thu Nov 05, 2009  at  01:32 AM
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.