Another Fraudster in the News media

This one is named Chris Cecil a writer for the Daily Tribune News in Cartersville Georgia. He has been fired for plagarizing the work of syndicated Miami Herald Columnist Leonard Pitts. Sometimes totally verbatim, just changing the name of the author on the column.

Mr. Cecil was fired yesterday by Daily Tribune News Publisher Charles Hurley after the plagarism was discovered.

There is nothing as of yet at the Tribune News website, but here is a link to Mr. Pitts column today and some of its highlights.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/11801765.htm

Dear Chris Cecil:

Here's how you write a newspaper column. First, you find a topic that engages you. Then you spend a few hours banging your head against a computer screen until what you've written there no longer makes you want to hurl.

Or, you could just wait till somebody else writes a column and steal it. That's what you've been doing on a regular basis.

Before Tuesday, I had never heard of you or the Daily Tribune News, in Cartersville, Ga., where you are associate managing editor. Then one of my readers, God bless her, sent me an e-mail noting the similarities between a column of mine and one you had purportedly written.

Intrigued, I did a little research on your paper's website and found that you had ''written'' at least eight columns since March that were taken in whole or in part from my work. The thefts ranged from the pilfering of the lead from a gangsta rap column to the wholesale heist of an entire piece I did about Bill Cosby. In that instance, you essentially took my name off and slapped yours on.

On March 11, I wrote: I like hypocrites. You would, too, if you had this job. A hypocrite is the next best thing to a day off. Some pious moralizer contradicts his words with his deeds and the column all but writes itself. It's different with Bill Cosby.

On May 12, you ''wrote:'' I like hypocrites. You would, too, if you had this job. A hypocrite is the next best thing to a day off. Some pious moralizer contradicts his words with his deeds and the column all but writes itself. It's different with Bill Cosby.

The one that really got me, though, was your theft of a personal anecdote about the moment I realized my mother was dying of cancer. ''The tears surprised me,'' I wrote. ''I pulled over, blinded by them.'' Seven days later, there you were: ``The tears surprised me. I pulled over, blinded by them on central Kentucky's I-75.''

Actually, it happened at an on-ramp to the Artesia Freeway in Compton, Calif.

See Mr. Cecil was such a bad plagarist he couldn't even keep the facts straight. Other than that I don't find this matter funny in the least and do believe Mr. Pitts has a right to feel violated by this fraud's actions. Another black eye for the press for the people of Cartersville Georgia should be outraged by the actions of Mr. Cecil. It may not be New York City but the deceit and lies are the same.

Hope you like selling used cars Mr. Cecil. You won't ever again be working in the field of journalism.

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