I don’t consider myself a journalist, but have found myself newly in a podcast about the Obama campaign (whom I support) and a few times have had to hold conversations up to a standard…but whose standard?…I never studied journalism…then again, I did do a master’s degree in psychology and we did study ethics…or, maybe, if I dig even deeper, I’ll find something inside of my own integral structure, my integrity, that helps me decide if I should air controversial material…

and I got caught, got used by a poseur who would say whatever he needed to say to get his voice on air…what is my responsibility here?…must I verify allegations?…opinions?…interpretations?…or am I just a conduit???

I’m too new to podcasting to know where I stand on these questions, and I’m not pulling enough listeners to feel that I have to make up my mind today before I corrupt innocent ears…but here I am, having spent a life in one way or another “finding my voice” via art forms, a very amateur, self-taught, no-frills, by-the-seat-of-my-pants podcaster…

and I like it…and I like the fact that my podcast is the opposite of slick…and when the Obama campaign is over and my original charter (or would that be my brand?…) drains of meaning, I have a feeling I will stretch, get a glass of water, and keep talking…and listening to my interviewees…

sometimes I feel I should apologize to all of you REAL journalists…and yet, there are so many unserved groups, and maybe my connections to some of these voices will matter…

yours, MadamaAmbi, Interview4Obama