(CHICAGO) — In 2018, Huffington Post reporter Luke O’Brien exposed the identity of Amy Mekelburg, the person behind the alt-right Twitter handle, “@amymek.”
As O’Brien explained in his article, “For five years, the mysterious Twitter account ― which has more than 200,000 followers, including Sean Hannity, Roseanne Barr and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, has earned endorsements from Donald Trump and Michael Flynn.” With close to 25 tweets a day, the account has tirelessly spewed far-right propaganda and, Islamophobia.
In the aftermath of the revelation, O’Brien received thousands of threats and Twitter suspended his account for a time after he responded to a Twitter user who accused him of “going after” Mekelburg’s husband.
Twitter suspended O’Brien’s account — it has since been reinstated.
In this podcast, The Click reporters Roona Korde-Samos, Taylor Blair and Paras Shah discuss their thoughts and the ethics challenged as this story unfolds.
Related Posts
December 20, 2025
When the Internet Turns on Its Storytellers
Digital Journalist Meghann Cuniff Discusses Navigating Online Visibility
November 25, 2025
Between Doubt and Hope: Journalists Chart the Future in Challenging Times
At the 7th Annual Incubator for Media Education and Development Forum in Greece, journalists from around the world confronted the rising threats to press freedom while exploring how collaboration and AI innovation might redefine the future of reporting.