The deputy editorial page editor of the Rocky Mountain News has resigned after an editorial he wrote "duplicated wording" from the Washington Post. Here’s the resulting editor’s note:
An editorial on July 16, "Joe Wilson’s howlers," inappropriately duplicated wording from a Washington Post article.
The following passage was based on the Washington Post news story: "The committee said Wilson’s Niger report, rather than debunking intelligence about purported uranium sales to Iraq, as Wilson said, bolstered the case for most CIA analysts. And contrary to Wilson’s assertions, the CIA did not tell the White House it had qualms about the reliability of the Niger intelligence that made its way into Bush’s address." The Washington Post story appeared July 10 and was headlined "Plame’s input is cited on Niger mission; Report disputes Wilson’s claims on trip, wife’s role."
The News previously published a correction July 21 stating that the same editorial contained a phrase that should have been attributed to The Daily Howler Web site.
I also wrote about problems with the editorial in my blog, "Answering questions about an editorial," at blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/temple/. There I also discussed another troubling similarity between the editorial and the Howler Web site.
These mistakes do not reflect the policies or practices of the News’ editorial page. We are committed to original thought and expression. Deputy Editorial Page Editor Thom Beal, the author of the editorial, has resigned and said he regrets his actions.
I personally apologize for this breach of our trust with you, our readers.
