Handwriting Column Plagiarized

By: Dave Astor It didn't require a physician to diagnose that Sharon Tschirhart's column late last month plagiarized an April piece by "Handwriting Doctor" Michelle Dresbold.

The explanation, according to Tschirhart: She was recovering from major surgery, and, unbenownst to her, an assistant rewrote Dresbold's column off the Internet.

"I was really shocked," Dresbold told E&P Online. "It was 85-90% my article with someone else's name."

The April piece by Dresbold -- who's self-syndicated to about 20 newspapers -- analyzed the handwriting of accused murderer Scott Peterson. It read, in part: "Look at the right half of Peterson's signature. Do you see how it resembles a weapon -- a hook or a whip -- or, perhaps, a fishing rod and line? Weapon-shaped structures in handwriting are signs of hostility and aggression. Sometimes, they point out a killer's weapon of choice."

Tschirhart's column read in part: "Look at Peterson's signature. Do you see how the last half of his signature looks like a whip, or perhaps, a fishing rod and line? Any time there is a weapon-shaped structure in handwriting, it signifies hostility and/or aggression. It can even point out a killer's weapon of choice."

In a letter of apology to readers, Tschirhart said she had planned to have past "Write Connection" columns run while recuperating from surgery. "My helper did not know that I had made this arrangement and saw that my column was due ... . Ignorance is no excuse, but she thought the Internet was public domain ... . She thought she was helping me out." Tschirhart also apologized directly to Dresbold in an e-mail.

E&P Online couldn't reach Tschirhart by phone, and two e-mails sent to her were not answered.

Tschirhart's clients include the Boerne (Texas) Star and The Baxter Bulletin of Mountain Home, Ark., both of which published explanations of the plagiarism and both of which are no longer carrying "The Write Connection."

"We reacted as quickly as we knew about it," said Bulletin Managing Editor Sheila Boggess.

Star Publisher Brian Cartwright said Tschirhart and her assistant are "equally responsible for what they put in the column under her [Tschirhart's] name."

Dresbold (profiled in Syndicate World, Nov. 21, 2002) said she doesn't plan to sue Tschirhart. What she would like is for papers who want a handwriting-analysis column to run hers rather than Tschirhart's. Neither the Star nor the Bulletin have picked up "The Handwriting Doctor" at this point.

Another example of similar passages:

Dresbold's column: "What does the signature of Scott Peterson tell us about him? A signature shows how you wish to be perceived by others. Notice that Peterson's signature is illegible. Handwriting is a means of communication. A signature that is unreadable shows that the writer doesn't want others to 'read' him. He wants to keep his feelings hidden from the public and does not want his true self revealed."

Tschirhart's column: "The signature placed on this personal property list tells us something about him. Our signature is our public persona, or how you wish to be perceived by others. Notice that his signature is illegible. We handwrite something to others as a means of communication. A signature that is illegible indicates that the writer doesn't want others to 'know' him. He wishes to keep his feelings hidden from the others and is not willing to reveal his true inner self."

***

Lavish 'Far Side' Book Is Coming

Two-Volume Hardcover Due Out in October

The Complete Far Side -- a huge, two-volume, hardcover set that will retail for $135 -- is slated to be released Oct. 21 by Andrews McMeel Publishing (AMP).

It includes every "Far Side" cartoon ever syndicated (more than 4,000 panels), additional "Far Side" cartoons Gary Larson created after his retirement, a preface and 14 chapter introductions by Larson, fan mail, complaint letters, and much more. There's also a foreword by actor/comedian/author Steve Martin.

Larson's comic, which began in 1980 and had a 14-year run, appeared in more than 1,900 newspapers. Also, fans purchased more than 40 million "Far Side" books and 60 million calendars.

AMP is a sibling company to Universal Press Syndicate, which distributed Larson. The cartoonist started with Chronicle Features, and reruns of his comic are still distributed internationally by Creators Syndicate.

***

Frank 'Doonesbury' Language

Some Clients Not Happy About 'Sucking'

Several newspapers weren't pleased with the language in the Aug. 1 "Doonesbury," in which a character comments on the ambush death of a U.S. soldier in Iraq. "Would I characterize that as sucking? Heavens, yes!" he says, spoofing the speaking style of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

The Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, for instance, changed "sucking" to "stinking" in the Universal Press Syndicate strip.

Newspapers argue that they have the right to edit all the content they publish, while most cartoonists feel a comic should be printed or dropped but not changed. "Doonesbury" creator Garry Trudeau declined to revise the Aug. 1 strip.

***

Et cetera ...

Roger Ebert this month will start radiation treatments for a malignant tumor on his salivary gland, according to an Aug. 6 Chicago Sun-Times article. Ebert, 61, the Pulitzer Prize-winning movie critic for the Sun-Times and Universal Press Syndicate, said he will cut back on his attendance at film festivals but doesn't expect the treatments to affect his writing and TV work.

Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram columnist Dave Lieber was elected president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation.

"Alley Oop" turned 70 on Aug. 7. The Newspaper Enterprise Association comic, which stars a time-traveling caveman, was created by V.T. Hamlin and is now done by Jack and Carole Bender.

Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services is distributing two new columns. One is by Kansas City (Mo.) Star House & Home Editor Cindy Hoedel, and the other is the "Glad You Asked" trivia feature by Jeff Elder of The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer.

USA Weekend magazine's Aug. 8-10 back-to-school issue includes a book cover featuring SpongeBob SquarePants.

Hollister Kids has created a new line of "Super-Size Teacher Guides." Each package contains more than 40 use-the-newspaper activities.

***

Editor's note: This fall, E&P is scheduled to run its third annual "Features of the Year" spread. If you have any syndicated creators you'd like to nominate, please e-mail Dave Astor (at the address below) their names and a brief explanation of why you feel they're doing a particularly good job in 2003. The four categories include best comic creator, best editorial cartoonist, best columnist, and best feature. The last category can include non-Op-Ed columns, puzzles, children's features, paginated pages, etc.