UPDATE: Fired Star Columnist Sues Paper Over Plagiarism Allegations

(Photo credit: CoolValley)Almost a year after being terminated allegedly for multiple verbatim use of press releases in his writings without attribution, former Kansas City Star Metro columnist Steve Penn, 54, has sued the McClatchy Co.-owned daily for defamation, the Star reports.

Penn, a 31-year Star veteran who had written a Metro column since 2000, alleges in his complaint filed in Jackson County Circuit Court that reproducing press release content in articles without crediting the source was widespread, common practice at the daily. He alleges he was defamed by the Star and seeks $25,000 compensatory damages and punitive damages.

His former employer cited a dozen instances in which Penn purportedly used press release text without attribution. (See "TUOL" post 7/14/11.) The litigation is scheduled for mediation and a November hearing before Judge Ann Mesle, according to a Star article.

Kansas City Star Cans Columnist for Plagiarism

Image via WikipediaThe McClatchy Company-owned Kansas City Star has fired 31-year veteran employee Steve Penn for plagiarism.

The 53-year-old Penn, who has been a Star metro columnist since 2000, was found to have copied verbatim material contained in press releases without attribution in his columns on more than a dozen occasions dating back to 2008, according to Star Editor Mike Fannin. Penn, whose forte was human interest pieces, purportedly duplicated in one column the contents of a press release about the alliance between  Alaadeen Enterprises, Inc. and the family of the late jazz great Duke Ellington to help U.S. Veterans. Similarly, in a tribute column to restaurateur Maxine Virginia Byrd, Penn purloined descriptive phrases and a significant portion of a press release about Byrd written by a funeral home.

Trolling press releases for column content proves the old adage: the Penn is not mightier than the flack.

McClatchy McCutting Jobs Again

Image via WikipediaMedia monolith McClatchy Co., which boasts 30 daily newspapers among its communications companies, is cutting 50 editorial positions in the wake of its recently announced poor First Quarter performance that saw a near 10 percent decline in revenues (see "TUOL" post 4/26/11).

The Kansas City Star is dumping 24 jobs and dropping vacant positions, The Raleigh News & Observer is eliminating 20 slots through buyouts and layoffs and The Miami Herald is eliminating 35 vacant positions and slashing 15 jobs, according to Mediabistro.com's "mediajobsdaily" blog. Earlier this year, The Sacramento Bee and The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, also McClatchy dailies, completed a round of staff cutbacks (see "TUOL" posts 2/9/11 & 2/1/11).