Hey, if grandiosity works, why not try it?
Charles C. Johnson, a freelance journalist based in Fresno, zipped through his initial goal of $5,000 in recent weeks. The money poured in so fast that he upped it to $10,000 and is now about $2,000 away from the finish line. (RELATED: Journo Asks For $5,000 And Gets Even More)
As we’ve reported, the funding is for a mystery story he won’t discuss. And still, the money keeps coming.
In a letter to what looks like several hundred close friends three weeks, Johnson opens up about what’s happening in his life – and also asks for financial support for his mystery story. He and his wife, Berna, recently moved to Fresno for her new job. Johnson, who has written for The Daily Caller in the past, has a new website, Got News, that he doesn’t mention outright in the letter. Instead, he mentions a research firm he’s starting, called CCJ Strategies, as well as a book on the history of opposition research for a “major publisher.” Johnson has been slammed in recent days for writing about a Mississippi pastor who claims Sen. Thad Cochran (R) paid thousands of African Americans $15 for their votes. Johnson paid the purported pastor for the info. Cochran has denied the accusation.
Johnson, meanwhile, says it’s time for him to be his “own man.”
“As you may have noticed, I’ve stopped writing for other outlets full time and plan to announce my own site in the near future,” he said in the letter, hinting at Got News. “More details will come but I want to create the news site I always wished existed for me and my fellow researchers and that has been an obsessive focus of mine. With some investment from family, friends, and personal savings, it’s been a long time coming but it’s time for me to really be my own man and call the shots.”
Here are a few of the more grandiose things Johnson has voiced on Twitter in the past 24 hours.
When you understand that much of the media is low information, it becomes irresistible to use information technology to eat their lunch.
— Charles C. Johnson (@ChuckCJohnson) July 7, 2014
I have many flaws but “boring” isn’t one of them. Get the popcorn, friends. #mssen
— Charles C. Johnson (@ChuckCJohnson) July 7, 2014
And finally, just this morning:
All of my life has been a preparation for what we are doing in #mssen. I won’t let you down. Strap in and enjoy the ride.
— Charles C. Johnson (@ChuckCJohnson) July 7, 2014
UPDATE: Due to threats, Johnson has asked that his wife’s profession be removed from the copy. The Mirror has obliged.