7/10/2006

Did You Honestly Expect Any Other Outcome? (Updated):
Universal Press Syndicate, which allows Ann Coulter to inflict herself on about 100 newspapers a week, has rejected charges of plagiarism against Coulter. Said Lee Salem, Universal Press president, "There are only so many ways you can rewrite a fact and minimal matching text is not plagiarism." Also, he said, "Universal Press Syndicate is confident in the ability of Ms. Coulter, an attorney and frequent media target, to know when to make attribution and when not to." 'Cause attorneys would never make a "mistake" like plagiarism, now, would they.

Remember, gang: Plagiarism is also not giving credit to where you got your material. And as for Salem's "so many ways you can rewrite a fact," here ya go:

Sigh. One last time. Here's how Coulter described a work of art in a June 2005 column: "A show titled 'DEGENERATE WITH A CAPITAL D' featuring a display of the remains of the artist's own aborted baby."

Here's how the Heritage Foundation had described it years earlier: "'Degenerate with a Capital D'...included 'Alchemy Cabinet' by Shawn Eichman, featuring the remains of the artist's own aborted baby."

Here's how the American Life League described the same work: "her own dismembered second-trimester aborted baby next to the obligatory twisted wire coat hanger."

You can rewrite facts. You just have to make the effort. But, mostly, it's just easier not to try.

Man, that cash-spewin' teat tastes all corporately creamy, don't it?

Update: And take a look at what happened to Baltimore Sun columnist Michael Olesker back in January when he was accused of writing columns that didn't have attribution for the way in which he rewrote facts. Man, the bar has to be set mighty, mighty low for Coulter.
(Olesker story from Are You Effin' Kidding Me?.)

(Yeah, yeah, non-Coulter shit was promised, but we'll move on tomorrow.)