"As the comments piled up, I became afraid to answer the phone, open the mailbox."

So she reopenned the story, attention whoring some more? Back in the real, non-self-obsessed world, when we say we hate the damage a fire does, we tend not to pour gassoline on it.

She has a choice:

a) She wants and loves the attention: Keep droning on and draw out your fifteen minutes. But don't be surprised when people judge you for how you come across. Accept it as part of the cost of your precious fifteen minutes.

b) She wants it to go away: Shut up. Stop adding fuel to the fire. It's the internet. We'll be laughing at someone with gold spray paint on his face or an adorable kitten in 30 seconds anyway.

Unfortunately, right now, her actions scream of A) and the lady protesting too much.

"I emailed our newspaper... I became the punching bag for anonymous commentators."

So, just confirming:

She wanted anonymous strangers to read her story and get angry? Check.

She wanted them to then be angry enough to attack whatever they were angry at? Check.

Sounds like she got everything she asked for. The only bit she didn't get was where she wanted the s***storm she released to be entirely one sided and only hurt the bus company with no one looking at her part in it.