In this piece, Denver Gazette Editor Vince Bzdek unpacks the latest Twitter/X blow-up involving the anonymous account @DoBetterDenver, a citizen journalist who’s made a name by posting raw, often uncomfortable footage of Denver’s streets—homelessness, crime, city dysfunction—and demanding accountability.
But this week, that account became the story. A so-called “doxxing” exposé from Westword unmasked the person allegedly behind the account, prompting backlash, legal threats, and a wider debate about transparency, free speech, and whether citizen watchdogs deserve the same protections as traditional journalists. It’s a 21st-century media mess, and it all unfolded in public – for better or worse.
The Bullet Point Brief
- @DoBetterDenver Hit a Nerve: The account posts unfiltered street-level videos of Denver’s decline, and let’s just say some people are not fans of the mirror being held up.
- Westword Played Unmasker-in-Chief: The alt-weekly ran a story revealing the identity of the person allegedly behind the account. No, they didn’t say “doxx,” but let’s not play dumb.
- Media Types Got Precious, Fast: Suddenly the same blue checks who cheer “accountability journalism” freaked out when they became the subject. Funny how that works.
- Legal Lines Are Getting Blurry: The subject of the Westword story says it was a violation of her rights; Westword defends it as truth-telling. Meanwhile, Twitter/X doesn’t care unless it trends.
- Everyone’s a Journalist Now – Sort Of: This whole circus proves the old media monopoly is dead. One anonymous citizen with a camera can now rival the morning paper.
My Bottom Line
Several years before I left radio, I had a realization: “My audience now has an audience.” And that reality has never been more true than it is today.
Social media has changed the media ecosystem, not always for the better, but accounts like @DoBetterDenver show the potential of citizen journalism. It holds up a mirror to things people in power, and the media that covers them, would rather you not see. And surprise, surprise: the minute that mirror gets too clear, the backlash comes fast and furious.
The blue checks and newsroom gatekeepers don’t like it when some anonymous account on a free app does their job better than they do. But this isn’t just a turf war, it’s a signal that we’re all journalists now. Some just have iPhones instead of bylines.
