One time we were sitting around the office talking about our endeavors and, after I told another one of my little stories, somebody said, “We should just have a reporter follow Mike around; he’s a walking news story.”

I grinned and agreed.

But that is part of my current dilemma. As a reporter and an editor, I am supposed to report the news, however, I am often part of the news–or I create news by my actions.

Not that I have a problem with taking a few shots to the jaw, but, obviously, if I, or even my employees, write a story about my altercations with the university it will appear biased.

Take, for instance, the two major legal actions I have been involved with against UMass.

The first was because I changed my student ID number to a random number. The school withheld my financial aid, ordering me to change my number back to my Social Security number. I refused, and eventually contacted the ACLU and we initiated legal action: shortly thereafter I received my check from the university, and a letter thanking me for my “patience.”

The second was legal action by the university against me because I owned UmassBoston.com, along with UmassLowell.com, UmassDartmouth.com and UmassMedical.com. In the end we settled: I transferred three of the domains to the university and sold UmassBoston.com to The Mass Media, (though it has since escaped our control and may require follow-up legal action to regain.)

There isn’t even any reason to comment on the numerous other run-ins I’ve had with the administration, or pending legal battles–you probably, by this point, see my troubles. How can I report on my unending legal involvement with the university?

I go gonzo!

I saw a Michael Moore film the other day, and it struck me. We are gonzo. Like Hunter S. Thompson, we can’t disengage ourselves from the stories, we have to act.

Michael Moore is involved in the social issues he makes films about. Hunter S. Thompson was involved with the politics and the politicians he wrote about. I am involved in the university I write about.

We are like war reporters who actually shoot at our enemies. Obviously we aren’t objective. We want our side to win; we want to report on our side, our victories and defeats; we will take the shot, with a gun, with a camera or with a barbed comment.

So the gonzo thing that I am doing right now, by writing this column, is taking a big swing at the myth of the objective reporter.

Every reporter has views, maybe they feel, as I do, that murder is wrong, or that marijuana should be legalized. According to contemporary guidelines for news coverage, reporters are supposed to veil those views in an aura of objectivity.

I disagree. I think that reporters should also be activists. We became reporters to reveal truths and change society, right? Well, I say we go one step further and act upon those truths; for example, I actively don’t murder people and I actively try not to get arrested for marijuana possession.

And I actively sue state universities when they violate my civil rights, though sometimes I have to sit patiently for many months until they cooperate by beating me senseless.