Boston Globe NFL Writer suspended two months for plagiarizing Seattle NFL Writer

[WoodysGirl]

Plagiarism Allegation Hits 'Boston Globe' Football Writer

By Joe Strupp

Published: March 05, 2007 2:10 PM ET

NEW YORK Similarities between a Sunday story by a Boston Globe sportswriter and a piece written a week earlier by a writer at the News Tribune of Tacoma, Wash., have prompted a review by the Globe's top sports editor.

"We are aware of the complaint and we are looking into it," said Joe Sullivan, Globe assistant managing editor/sports. "Someone pointed it out to me and we are looking into it."

First reported by the web site www.coldhardfootballfacts.com, the allegations concern the "Football Notes" column of Globe sportswriter Ron Borges. The March 4 column includes several passages that appear similar, or in some cases identical, to a Feb. 25 story by the News Tribune's Mike Sando.

Both stories were related to the potential trade of Seattle Seahawks receiver Darrell Jackson, with Borges noting the New England Patriots' possible interest.

Coldhardfootballfacts.com posted several passages from both stories that offer grounds for concern. Those include:

Sando: "Jackson was leading the NFL in touchdowns last season when a turf-toe injury forced him to miss the final three games. The injury prevented Jackson from achieving his third 1,000-yard season in four years and the fourth overall. Jackson still led the Seahawks with 63 catches for 956 yards and 10 touchdowns."

Borges: "Jackson was leading the NFL in touchdowns last season when a turf-toe injury forced him to miss the final three games. The injury prevented him from reaching his third 1,000-yard season in four years, but Jackson still led Seattle with 63 catches for 956 yards and 10 touchdowns."

***

Sando: "But trouble arose in March 2004 when former Seahawks president Bob Whitsitt allegedly shorted Jackson on a contract offer. Jackson said he signed the deal anyway at the urging of his father, who has since died. Whitsitt has dismissed the charge as preposterous, while Ruskell has resisted honoring a promise that a predecessor denies making. The dispute has escalated ever since, with the Seahawks and Jackson's agents exchanging a series of blunt letters, sources said."

Borges: "Trouble arose with Seahawks management two years ago after former team president Bob Whitsitt allegedly shorted Jackson on a contract offer. Jackson said he signed the deal anyway at the urging of his father. Whitsitt has dismissed the charge as preposterous, while present club president Tim Ruskell has refused to honor a promise that another person denies making. The dispute has escalated, with the Seahawks and Jackson's agents exchanging blunt letters."

***

Sando: "When Ruskell became Seahawks president in February 2005, one of his first moves was to issue a letter to players outlining his expectations. He urged full participation in the team's offseason program, including minicamps, but Jackson let it be known he would honor his contract but nothing more. Jackson subsequently skipped the voluntary portions of minicamps.

Borges: "When Ruskell became Seahawks president in February 2005, one of his first moves was to issue a letter to players outlining his expectations. He urged full participation in the team's offseason program, including minicamps, but Jackson let it be known he would honor his contract, but nothing more. Jackson subsequently skipped the voluntary portions of minicamps."

Borges' column also included an unusual credit line at the end that stated "material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report."

Borges and Globe Editor Martin Baron did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Sullivan said he had spoken to Borges about the allegations, but offered no further comment.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Strupp (jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com ) is a senior editor at E&P.

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[jrumann59]

oops I did it again. Friggin east coast mediots think they own press and people only read them.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

pretty tough acqusation(sp?)

 

[theogt]

Honestly, you see this sort of thing every single day if you read enough sports media. It's typically slightly less obvious, of course, but journalists are lazy.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Honestly, you see this sort of thing every single day if you read enough sports media. It's typically slightly less obvious, of course, but journalists are lazy.

There's plagiarism and then there's using an AP story to generate your story. You'll see alot of articles that state that information from the Associated Press or other wire services was used to create an article.

It's when you do like that writer did and lift whole passages, not part of an AP story, without crediting the writer that it becomes a no-no.

 

[tyke1doe]

This stuff happens all the time.

Newspapers rely on other newspapers for information.

Still Borges may have been safe if he had lifted only a small portion of the article. It seems he lifted a huge portion of the article.

 

[tyke1doe]

Honestly, you see this sort of thing every single day if you read enough sports media. It's typically slightly less obvious, of course, but journalists are lazy.

As WG stated, it's not necessarily laziness as it is relying on other outlets with more solid coverage or more pervasive coverage than you have, i.e. The Associated Press. Almost everyone uses information from other sources. But you have to attribute your sources.

The problem comes in when the reporter thinks the information is general information or when he takes too much of the information.

It seems as if Borges took the information, in some cases, verbatim. He should have known you have to rewrite the "lifted" material in your own words, even if it's general information.

So, I guess you could say that it is a bit of laziness.

 

[AbeBeta]

Interesting -- PFT has been on Borges for some time now.

 

[superpunk]

Is this worse than Mitch Albom claiming he was ata game he did not attend?

I'm pretty sure Pats fans hate this guy. Kind of New England's Randy Galloway. Moronic blowhard who says alot, but doesn't know alot.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Interesting -- PFT has been on Borges for some time now.

PFT was the source of me finding this particular article.

 

[jrumann59]

As WG stated, it's not necessarily laziness as it is relying on other outlets with more solid coverage or more pervasive coverage than you have, i.e. The Associated Press. Almost everyone uses information from other sources. But you have to attribute your sources.

The problem comes in when the reporter thinks the information is general information or when he takes too much of the information.

It seems as if Borges took the information, in some cases, verbatim. He should have known you have to rewrite the "lifted" material in your own words, even if it's general information.

So, I guess you could say that it is a bit of laziness.

Doing it that way he still has to cite AP as a source.

 

[theogt]

There's plagiarism and then there's using an AP story to generate your story. You'll see alot of articles that state that information from the Associated Press or other wire services was used to create an article.

It's when you do like that writer did and lift whole passages, not part of an AP story, without crediting the writer that it becomes a no-no.

Right, but you'll also see the reverse -- major media "borrowing" from local guys. It only becomes a problem when it's a straight copy and paste job. Heck, you learn in high school to copy and paste and then reword it a little.

Obviously it has to happen on both ends to some extent and that's fine, but it'd be nice if more of the media relied on actual reporting rather than reading other media.

Reading other newspapers is not research.

 

[Cajuncowboy]

The Boston Globe has been in trouble before with this when one of their political writers did the same thing. I can't remember his name roght now. I think he quit or got fired. Not sure.

 

[AdamJT13]

First reported by the web site www.coldhardfootballfacts.com, the allegations concern the "Football Notes" column of Globe sportswriter Ron Borges.

This actually was first spotted by a poster on a Seahawks blog (http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/sea...uestions_vol_127&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#c39593). It then spread to Seahawks message boards, then to the board at PatsFans.com, then to CHFF (which basically is a Patriots fan site that comes up with goofy stats to prove how great the Pats are).

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

The Boston Globe has been in trouble before with this when one of their political writers did the same thing. I can't remember his name roght now. I think he quit or got fired. Not sure.

Or something like that

 

[Cajuncowboy]

This actually was first spotted by a poster on a Seahawks blog (http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/sea...uestions_vol_127&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#c39593). It then spread to Seahawks message boards, then to the board at PatsFans.com, then to CHFF (which basically is a Patriots fan site that comes up with goofy stats to prove how great the Pats are).

So what your saying is that Seahawks blog was plagerized by the Seahawks message board which was in turn plagerized by patsfans.com which got plagerized by CHFF?

There's a whole lot of plagerizin' goin' on out there!

 

[AdamJT13]

Is this worse than Mitch Albom claiming he was ata game he did not attend?

Albom didn't say HE was at a game. He wrote a column the day before a Michigan State basketball game, but it wasn't going to be published until the day after the game. He talked to two former MSU players (Mateen Cleaves and Jason Richardson) who said they would be at the game, so his column mentioned that Cleaves and Richardson were at the game. But neither of them made it, and Albom's column didn't get changed.

 

[Cajuncowboy]

Or something like that

Ok I remember who it was now. It was Mike Barnicle.

 

[stardeep]

I don't necessarily think this gives me anymore credibility in the matter, but as a former sportswriter/columnist and then editor, there is no doubt this is plagiarism. While there's an obvious structure and cadence found within informational articles that lends to similarities amongst different publications, this far exceeds any semblance of coincidence.

I've seen this level of plagiarism on several occasions, including a particular contributor to our magazine who concocted quotes and entire stories, often using 'an unnamed source' or someone who wished to remain anonymous rather than doing any legwork.

 

[ZeroClub]

Borges' column also included an unusual credit line at the end that stated "material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report."

That's sort of funny. He should have said "portions of this report were plagerized."

It wouldn't have made it right, but at least he'd have been truthful about it.