Here’s an excerpt from a statement by the paper’s publisher:

Throughout our history we have served the community by highlighting wrongdoing and violations of ethics when we find them. It is only right that we focus the same light on ourselves when we are wrong.

So, it’s incumbent upon me as publisher to tell you that we failed to meet our own standards and, as we would with anyone else, we are flagging it, calling it wrong and taking action.

In short, after an extensive internal review, we have determined that over the last several weeks The Courant plagiarized the work of some of our competitors. This was not our intent, but it is in fact what happened. We are taking corrective action to prevent it from happening again. We have also disciplined the individuals involved.

There’s not much detail there, so here’s a nut graf from Editor & Publisher:

Last week, Chris Powell, managing editor of The Journal Inquirer in Manchester, Conn., complained in a letter to Graziano that the Courant had been “misappropriating on a wholesale basis local stories published in the Journal Inquirer” since late July, according to a Journal Inquirer report. Jeffrey S. Levine, the Courant’s senior vice president and director of content, said the letter prompted the Courant’s review of its aggregation practices.

AP also has some good background. Finally, a blog maintained by former Courant staffers offers additional details, including an internal memo that describes some fairly outrageous behavior (emphasis mine):

It is and has always been our policy to offer proper attribution. Over the last few weeks, The Courant carried several news stories in which the original news source attributions were removed and credit was given to a Courant staffer.   This was plagiarism.  It happened on our watch. Disciplinary action for those involved, including ourselves, has been taken today.  We’ve put procedures in place to insure that these mistakes never happen again.

The site reports that “Six people at the Hartford Courant, including Content Manager Jeff Levine and Editor Naedine Hazell, have been disciplined by Tribune for their role in plagiarizing material from their competitors’ newspapers.”

Thanks to all who sent this in.

*Correction Sept. 15, 2009: The word plagiarism was misspelled as “plagiairsm” in this headline. Thanks to a commenter for spotting this typo. Update Sept. 16: As David pointed out in the comments, my corrected spelling of the word omitted the second “i.” Very sloppy. I apologize.

Editor’s Note: This version corrects the original editorial which implied that physicist Stephen Hawking, a professor at the University of Cambridge, did not live in the UK.

Oh, but there’s so much more to this Editor’s Note from Investor’s Business Daily. It omits the original, ridiculous statement contained in the editorial. And here it is, as quoted by the Guardian:

The controlling of medical costs in countries such as Britain through rationing, and the health consequences thereof, are legendary. The stories of people dying on a waiting list or being denied altogether read like a horror script … People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the UK, where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.

The paper also got a quote from professor Hawking:

“I wouldn’t be here today if it were not for the NHS. I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived.”

Wonkette also had some fun with this mistake.

Thanks, Kim!

Phineas Gage image: An article in Thursday’s Section A about the discovery of a daguerreotype showing brain-injury patient Phineas Gage said the iron rod driven into his skull by a blast was successfully removed. In fact, the blast that drove the rod through his brain also drove it out the other side (it landed 25 to 30 yards behind him). Also, the article said gunpowder caused the blast; it was caused by blasting powder.

Thanks, David!

This is the image it was eventually replaced with:

*Correction: The original headline on this post read "The curtains don’t match the drapes." That’s redundant. It has been corrected.

In The Daily Observer of Wednesday, April 1, a story ran as an April Fool’s joke on the front page that upset many readers. It was intended to amuse and entertain, and not meant to offend anyone. We apologize if some found it offensive.

Some background from the Ottawa Citizen:

A Pembroke newspaper that drew criticism Wednesday for an April Fool’s joke about the discovery of a native burial ground has issued an apology. The Pembroke Daily Observer apologized Thursday after a representative from a native group and the Mayor of Pembroke both condemned the paper’s attempt at humour.
“In The Daily Observer of Wednesday, April 1, a story ran as an April Fool’s joke on the front page that upset many readers. It was intended to amuse and entertain, and not meant to offend anyone. We apologize if some found it offensive,” said the apology on the paper’s website.
The newspaper’s annual April Fool’s joke Wednesday said construction at Pembroke Regional Hospital was halted Tuesday with the discovery of “an ancient native burial ground.”
The fabricated story went on to attribute quotes to Chuck Strahl, minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, and Kirby Whiteduck, chief of the nearby Algonquins of Pikwakanagan. According to the story, Strahl said Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MP Cheryl Gallant could not attend a meeting on the matter because she was too “pale.” It also said that native protesters had set up tents across from the construction site.
Okwarakon Sharbot, of the Haudenoshonee Confederacy, near Belleville, said Wednesday she was “appalled that somebody would put that in a newspaper that they were considering even digging up ancestral remains.” …

Thanks, Steve!

A report on Saturday on the crossbow shooting of an Auckland woman quoted former New Zealand First law and order spokesman Ron Mark renewing his call for the Government to require licensing of crossbows as firearms. Mark’s comments were historical and he has made no recent comment on the issue.

Meaning: they dug up an old quote and presented it as being new.

A LOT of this morning’s nationals have carried the story about our columnist Peter Mullen getting himself into hot water with some ill-advised comments about homosexuals on his blog.
It was also mentioned by Sarah kennedy on BBC Radio 2 this morning.
I got a call when I came in from Peter, asking my advice on whether he should issue an apology via the Press Association.
I told him I thought it was the right thing to do.
I’ve always subscribed to the view that when things go wrong, the best thing to do is hold your hands up and say sorry.
Even though the comments were made on Peter’s own personal blog and have nothing to do with The Northern Echo, he will also be issuing an apology in his Echo column next week.