HeraldNet: An apology to readers




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My Back Pages

July 31, 2008

An apology to readers

Posted at 12:01 am

On June 3, this newspaper carried a column describing the travails of a girls’ basketball coach. Editors are deeply disturbed to learn that parts of the column were taken from a 2002 piece that appeared in Sports Illustrated.

This deception violates The Herald’s commitment to earning and maintaining community trust. It also violates journalistic standards: It is never acceptable to take credit for work that is not our own. We must be forthright about the matters we report as well as the sources of our information.

Herald sports writer John Sleeper has acknowledged that his column, “Trust Me, Coaching Girls Is a Whole New Ballgame,” included passages borrowed from a column written by Rick Reilly for Sports Illustrated. Sleeper has been placed on suspension pending an in-depth review of the matter.

The Herald has apologized to Reilly for the unauthorized use of his work. We also apologize to our readers and promise to do everything possible to prevent this kind of failure in the future.

Neal Pattison
Executive Editor

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Sports Writer John Sleeper
As someone who personally knows John Sleeper, I feel certain that he didn't intentionally plagiarize his story. John doesn't need to plagiarize, because he is extremely talented, creative and funny on his own merits. Being a writer myself, I also know that when we read something that moves or entertains us, the words stick with us. So while John's story may have been similar to the Sports Illustrated story from 2002, it doesn't mean the words he wrote were stolen.

I hope the Herald will bring John back - his honest and humorous stories are the main reason I read your newspaper.

Thank you,
Sandy Crain Anderson
Sandy Crain Anderson | Aug 1, 2008 11:48 am | 3 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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