Joe the Plumber's now Joe the Reporter

His 15 minutes of fame aren't quite finished -- a conservative blog network is sending him to report from Israel.

Published January 7, 2009 8:05PM (EST)

Looking back some day, we might remember this moment as the one when the seriously overhyped phenomenon known as citizen journalism finally jumped the proverbial shark.

Joe the Plumber (real name Samuel "Joe" Wurzelbacher) has just announced that he'll be traveling to Israel as a reporter, sponsored by Pajamas TV, a Web site run by Pajamas Media, a right-leaning blog network.

Describing the company's plans to report from Israel in a recent blog post, Pajamas Media co-founder Roger Simon wrote that they intended to "right" what they perceive as an anti-Israel "imbalance" in the mainstream media's coverage.

Of course, Joe's not exactly a noted truth-teller himself: The question that made him famous was predicated on the idea that he'd be affected by Obama's plan to raise taxes on those who make more than $250,000 a year. It was later revealed, however, that he wouldn't reach that threshold and might in fact be eligible for a tax cut.

Wurzelbacher also made headlines during the campaign when, in response to a question from a McCain supporter, he said he believed that a vote for Barack Obama was tantamount to a vote for the death of Israel.


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

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