July 25, 2014

Our Bad Media

BuzzFeed is reviewing the work of viral politics editor Benny Johnson, BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith tells Poynter.

Two Twitter users who go by @blippoblappo and @crushingbort have published what they call “more plagiarism” from Johnson, who Smith told Gawker’s J.K. Trotter is “one of the web’s deeply original writers.”

Some of what @blippoblappo and @crushingbort uncovered is patchwriting, but Smith says, “There are three serious instances of plagiarism in this post.” He told Poynter yesterday that he planned to keep Johnson on staff.

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Andrew Beaujon reported on the media for Poynter from 2012 to 2015. He was previously arts editor at TBD.com and managing editor of Washington City…
Andrew Beaujon

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