Punk Planet founder Dan Sinker is @MayorEmanuel

Well, holy motherfucking shit, as he would say: Punk Planet founder and editor Dan Sinker is the man behind the @MayorEmanuel account.

Sinker revealed his secret identity to The Atlantic in a story that ran today. Despite much journalistic pressure and the actual Emanuel’s offer to donate $5,000 to charity upon the tweeter’s outing, Sinker had kept his alter ego a secret until now. He’s receiving no compensation from The Atlantic for coming clean, but maybe the new mayor will still fork over that dough as a sign of goodwill.

Sinker said only a few people knew the real face behind @MayorEmanuel, including his wife and a small circle of friends. Some reporters were on to him, but none could “muster any proof.” While Sinker started tweeting in September of last year, he decided to push the account toward doing more storytelling somewhere around last Halloween, ultimately turning a joke Twitter account into something with heart, emotion, and poignancy.

Before this, Sinker was best known as the man behind Punk Planet, the quintessential punk and activist zine, which ceased publication in 2007. He’s also the brains behind cellstories.net, which distributes daily tidbits exclusively for mobile users to maybe read on public transportation, and he teaches journalism at Columbia College.