By: Joe Strupp An editorial writer at the The Star-Tribune of Minneapolis, Minn. lifted part of an editorial last week from a piece that ran in The New Yorker, according to an editor's note the paper published Wednesday.
Susan Albright, the paper's editorial page editor, wrote that the Nov. 10 editorial "Americans need their congress back" included "phrases that should have been attributed to Hendrik Hertzberg of the New Yorker. We owe readers an explanation of how this happened."
Her explanation went on to say that the unnamed editorial writer "who properly attributed other views included in the editorial, took notes on the Hertzberg piece, intending either to directly quote him or otherwise include some of his views, which coincided with the editorial staff's opinions on problems in Washington." She added that "later, in consulting these notes, the writer inadvertently failed to distinguish which parts were direct quotes and which were paraphrased ideas, resulting in the writing of phrases that included an unattributed, improper mix of the two plus other points about Congress."
Albright stated that elements in the piece that should have been credited to Hertzberg included the phrases "festival of bribery" and "the subcontracting of environmental, energy, labor, and health-care policymaking to corporate interests; ... efforts to suppress scientific truth," among others.
"We take issues of journalistic ethics and practice very seriously," Albright, who could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday, noted in the statement. "We have addressed this issue with the writer and sincerely regret that it occurred."
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