The ousted USDA official, Shirley Sherrod, says she plans to sue the blogger that cost her her job.

The White House fired Sherrod after blogger Andrew Breitbart broadcast a video of her making what appeared to be racially inflammatory comments. Later on it was learned that the video, had been heavily edited.

The story spread quickly to the mainstream media. Barry Hollander with UGA’s Grady School of Journalism says the White House, USDA and journalists got it wrong and it should serve as a ‘cautionary tale.’

“Hopefully journalists, the main stream journalists, real journalists, will take a little more time, practice a little more caution, in approaching some of these stories that seem sometimes too good to be true.”

Hollander says the laws on new media are up and coming. Bloggers may not end up being considered journalists and subject to the same laws as journalists. Sherrod has since been offered another job working for the federal government.

Tags: Georgia agriculture, USDA, Shirley Sherrod, Andrew Breitbart, Barry Hollander, UGA Grady School of Journalism