Regret the Error

A Boston Globe sports columnist has been accused of plagiarism by coldhardfootballfacts.com. The paper says it is looking into the allegations. Editor & Publisher has a story up about it, and here is the post from coldhardfootballfacts.com. E&P:

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…

Read them here. UPDATE March 6: The paper has suspended him for two weeks, though it hasn’t said whether it looked at his previous work to see if this was an isolated incident. It needs to look at his previous work. From the Globe’s article about his suspension:

The Boston Globe yesterday suspended without pay for two months a veteran sports reporter, Ron Borges, after allegations that he had
plagiarized a portion of a football column from another sportswriter.
The Globe’s editor, Martin Baron, said Borges had included in his “Football notes” column last Sunday material written by a reporter for the News Tribune of Tacoma.
“The Globe does not tolerate plagiarism,” Baron said in a statement. “Extensive passages written by the Tacoma reporter were used verbatim in the column by Borges, and that is prohibited.”
Borges will also be barred from broadcast appearances over the next two months, Baron said…

UPDATE March 7: The paper published this brief Editor’s Note:

Editor’s note: The Football notes column by Ron Borges in Sunday’s Sports section contained verbatim passages from a story previously published by The News Tribune of Tacoma, Wash., a violation of Globe policy. Borges has been suspended without pay for two months. Story.