diff --git a/cloudinit/reporting.py b/cloudinit/reporting.py
index c4097a35..c7a94b58 100644
--- a/cloudinit/reporting.py
+++ b/cloudinit/reporting.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ The reporting framework is intended to allow all parts of cloud-init to
 report events in a structured manner.
 """
 
+import abc
 import logging
 
 
@@ -45,18 +46,24 @@ class FinishReportingEvent(ReportingEvent):
             self.event_type, self.name, success_string, self.description)
 
 
-class LogHandler(object):
+class ReportingHandler(object):
+
+    @abc.abstractmethod
+    def publish_event(self, event):
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+
+class LogHandler(ReportingHandler):
     """Publishes events to the cloud-init log at the ``INFO`` log level."""
 
-    @staticmethod
-    def publish_event(event):
+    def publish_event(self, event):
         """Publish an event to the ``INFO`` log level."""
         logger = logging.getLogger(
             '.'.join([__name__, event.event_type, event.name]))
         logger.info(event.as_string())
 
 
-HANDLERS = [LogHandler]
+HANDLERS = [LogHandler()]
 
 
 def report_event(event):
diff --git a/cloudinit/tests/test_reporting.py b/cloudinit/tests/test_reporting.py
index 431250d6..54e0995a 100644
--- a/cloudinit/tests/test_reporting.py
+++ b/cloudinit/tests/test_reporting.py
@@ -84,13 +84,20 @@ class TestReportingEvent(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(expected_string_representation, event.as_string())
 
 
+class TestReportingHandler(TestCase):
+
+    def test_no_default_publish_event_implementation(self):
+        self.assertRaises(NotImplementedError,
+                          reporting.ReportingHandler().publish_event, None)
+
+
 class TestLogHandler(TestCase):
 
     @mock.patch.object(reporting.logging, 'getLogger')
     def test_appropriate_logger_used(self, getLogger):
         event_type, event_name = 'test_type', 'test_name'
         event = reporting.ReportingEvent(event_type, event_name, 'description')
-        reporting.LogHandler.publish_event(event)
+        reporting.LogHandler().publish_event(event)
         self.assertEqual(
             [mock.call(
                 'cloudinit.reporting.{0}.{1}'.format(event_type, event_name))],
@@ -99,12 +106,12 @@ class TestLogHandler(TestCase):
     @mock.patch.object(reporting.logging, 'getLogger')
     def test_single_log_message_at_info_published(self, getLogger):
         event = reporting.ReportingEvent('type', 'name', 'description')
-        reporting.LogHandler.publish_event(event)
+        reporting.LogHandler().publish_event(event)
         self.assertEqual(1, getLogger.return_value.info.call_count)
 
     @mock.patch.object(reporting.logging, 'getLogger')
     def test_log_message_uses_event_as_string(self, getLogger):
         event = reporting.ReportingEvent('type', 'name', 'description')
-        reporting.LogHandler.publish_event(event)
+        reporting.LogHandler().publish_event(event)
         self.assertIn(event.as_string(),
                       getLogger.return_value.info.call_args[0][0])
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index f23044d5..7b1c0221 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ commands = {posargs}
 
 [flake8]
 builtins = _
-exclude = .venv,.git,.tox,dist,doc,*lib/python*,*egg,build
+exclude = .venv,.git,.tox,dist,doc,*lib/python*,*egg,build,.ropeproject
 
 # TODO(harlowja): fix these up...
 ignore = H102,H104,H105