Re: Interesting plagarism case
I posted this on the nuked thread. It's a letter from the school board to the paper:
http://www.wjcc.k12.va.us/content/pressrelease/PR-PressRoom/2007/may/050107-Gazette%20Plagiarism.pdf
May 1, 2007
W.C. O'Donovan, Publisher
Rusty Carter, Managing Editor
Virginia Gazette
216 Ironbound Road
Williamsburg, VA 23188
Mr. O'Donovan and Mr. Carter:
The latest example of journalistic irresponsibility displayed by the Gazette is absolutely
breathtaking in its egregiousness, and will not go unanswered by this School Division or
this community.
In the Wednesday, April 25, edition of the Gazette on the front page of the sports section
(page 1B) is an article headlined “Calling the Shots,†with a byline of Bryan L. Fuell, a
Gazette sportswriter. In good faith, the community believed it to be a feature about the
Lafayette High School girls’ tennis team, complete with quotes from two of their players
and their coach.
Thanks to some alert people in the community, however, it was discovered that this story
had been plagiarized, nearly word for word, from a story that had been published in the
Washington Post on Tuesday, April 17, under the byline of Post Staff Writer Preston
Williams. To make matters even worse, the quotes attributed to the Lafayette players and
coach were falsely attributed to them, having actually been uttered by players and a coach
of a high school in the metro Washington area.
The quotes, when put falsely in the mouths of our local students, made them appear to be
cheaters and poor sports, and have devastated the families involved. This approaches
defamation.
Plagiarism in responsible journalistic circles is an offense for which immediate
termination of the offending writer is the standard and accepted course of action. In
recent high-profile cases, both the Post and The New York Times fired reporters when it
was discovered they had plagiarized and/or manufactured fictitious material.
This most recent example is especially disturbing, not only for the reasons stated above
but because it isn’t the first time this reporter has been caught plagiarizing. On Feb. 10,
Mr. Fuell lifted almost verbatim a story about a Jamestown tennis player from the
Jamestown High School student newspaper, The Eagle Eye. The photo credit also was
changed.
To plagiarize a news story from one of the nation’s most respected newspapers, call it
one’s own, and then reassign quotes to local people, thus besmirching the character of our
students, goes beyond common decency.
We will insist upon the following:
1.) A full admission of the plagiarism in a published article prepared by you, along
with separate, written apologies to the coach and the two players for falsely
attributed quotes.
2.) That Mr. Fuell be fired, in accordance with standard journalistic ethical practices.
We understand from outside sources that this has taken place; if true, we applaud
the Gazette for doing the right thing.
3.) An editorial by Mr. O’Donovan detailing for the community the steps he will take
to ensure that plagiarism does not occur again in the pages of the Gazette.
As for the Division, we will:
1.) Notify Washington Post reporter Preston Williams of the fact that his story was
plagiarized, so that the Post may take whatever actions they deem appropriate.
2.) Notify the Tribune Co., the parent company of the Gazette that owns the
publication.
We must take these actions for our students to see that those in the professional world are
held accountable and that true professionals make every attempt to correct damage done.
Our students, and indeed our community, also will see that, if those steps fail to be taken,
that their School Division will do whatever is necessary to ensure that the journalism that
serves this community is responsible.
Denise W. Koch, Chair, Williamsburg-James City Co. School Board
Ron Vaught, Vice Chair
Gary S. Mathews, Ph.D., Superintendent, W-JCC Schools
