Maine Weekly Reporter 'Mightee Fihud' for Plagiarizing Rivals' Articles

Image via WikipediaThe Mainely Media-owned South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Sentry weekly has terminated reporter Michael J. Tobin after learning he had plagiarized articles that appeared in rival weeklies The Forecaster and The Current, the Sentry and the Poynter.org Website reported.

Sample Media Group, the parent company of Mainely Media, took the action after discovering Tobin had lifted other reporters' copy in his coverage of South Portland city meetings. Tobin, whom the Sentry hired in September 2011 without prior newspaper reporting experience, conceded filching from the competition, but claimed he did not know such conduct was verboten and lamented the lack of formal training received from the Sentry.

Not a particularly credible excuse from the ink-stained novice--the dedicated "TUOL" staffers are not canaries, but we still know how to sing. On the other hand, Mainely Media, it doesn't take a crack investigative reporter to discover that "ya get wot you pay fawr."