Plagiarism Leads to Personal Turnaround

Here's an excerpt from an interesting article in WORLD magazine that is (a) about journalism ethics and (b) has a local--Fort Wayne--connection.


Wins & losses

Even in politics, falling down can lead to a new kind of strength

by Warren Cole Smith

Since 2001, Tim Goeglein had helped run the White House Office of Public Liaison, a heady job that gave him almost daily access to President George W. Bush. All that came to an end on Feb. 29, 2008.

Blogger Nancy Nall Derringer did a web search on an unusual name in a column Goeglein had been writing for several years for his hometown newspaper, the Ft. Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel. She discovered Goeglein had copied verbatim a 1998 editorial from the Dartmouth Review.

She blogged about the plagiarism, and The News-Sentinel discovered at least 27 of Goeglein's 38 pieces for the paper had been plagiarized. By mid-afternoon the next day, Goeglein's career in the White House was over.

For Goeglein, that began "a personal crisis unequaled in my life, bringing great humiliation on my wife and children, my family, and my closest friends, including the president of the United States."

His two-decade political career had included nearly eight years in the White House and stints as spokesman for Gary Bauer's presidential campaign and for former Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., who is again running for the U.S. Senate this year. "But I was guilty as charged," he admitted. Why did he plagiarize? "It was 100 percent pride."

Don't Throw Away That Early Work!

30-year-old Homework Assignment from Frank McCourt Finally Finds Publisher

NEW YORK, Oct. 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- Best-selling author Anthony DeStefano wrote his best book at age 15, as a student in a creative writing class taught by Pulitzer Prize winner Frank McCourt.

"I peaked at 15," said DeStefano, whose new children's book, Little Star, has finally been published almost 30 years later, and just in time for Christmas. "I honestly think this is the best thing I've ever done."

Not everyone would agree with the self-effacing writer. DeStefano is the author of the adult best-sellers A Travel Guide to Heaven, and Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To. This Little Prayer of Mine, a children's book, was published earlier this year.

But Little Star was his first book, written as an assignment for Angela's Ashes author McCourt when DeStefano was a student at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. "Frank McCourt was a very unorthodox teacher," said DeStefano. "He knew that the best way to get young writers to write simply was to make them write children's books. And we had to send them out to publishers."

Little Star is a beautifully illustrated retelling of the Nativity story that focuses on the star of Bethlehem -- the smallest star in the heavens and until then all but unnoticed in the night sky -- who burns himself out to keep the newborn baby Jesus warm in his cold stable.

DeStefano's book was initially turned down by publishers, but many of them tempered their rejections with letters of encouragement. In 1981, famed actress Helen Hayes did a public reading of the book during an Easter Seals event in Manhattan.

DeStefano still has the original manuscript in his office in New York City. The new version, illustrated by Mark Elliott, the artist who worked with DeStefano on This Little Prayer of Mine, was just published by WaterBrook Press in anticipation of the Christmas season. The author hopes audiences of all ages will respond to the story of sacrificial love and its message that everyone -- even the tiniest and poorest and least significant among us -- matters.

"My goal was to try to encapsulate the whole gospel message of love in a simple Christmas story," said DeStefano.

And his grade in that long-ago creative writing class?

Frank McCourt gave him an A.

StarTrib Bucks Circulation Trend

Sunday circulation up 5.7%, to 504,616, at Star Tribune

Circulation at both the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press bucked national trends and increased during the past six months, or declined less than the rest of the industry, according to the semi-annual report of the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

The Star Tribune's Sunday circulation was up 5.7 percent to 504,616 for the six-month period through September. It was the first Sunday growth since 2004. Publisher Mike Klingensmith attributed the strong Sunday showing to a strategy that makes parts of the Sunday paper available on Saturday. Klingensmith said the newspaper also experienced gains in customer retention and paid e-edition circulation. The Star Tribune is now is the nation's eighth-largest Sunday paper, up from 10th a year ago.

Star Tribune daily circulation declined 2.3 percent to 297,478 year over year but was more than 2,000 copies greater than the March audit report.

Sunday circulation at the Pioneer Press rose 0.21 percent to 247,188 year over year and 0.28 percent on a daily basis to 185,736.

Nationally, daily newspaper circulation declined by 5 percent from a year earlier and Sunday circulation was down 4.5 percent. Both numbers represented smaller declines than those experienced in the first six months of the audit year.

Poll: America's Favorite Author Is . . .

Poll: America's Favorite Author Is...

Stephen King, the "king" of horror and suspense with such classics as "The Shining," "Carrie," "The Tommyknockers" and well over 100 others.

That's the word from a Harris Poll, which asked 2,775 U.S. adults to name their favorite writers. Following close on King's heels is mystery writer James Patterson, author of "I, Alex Cross" and "The Postcard Killers," among many others.

The top 10 favorite authors:
1. Stephen King
2. James Patterson
3. John Grisham
4. Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb
5. Tom Clancy
6. Dean Koontz
7. Danielle Steele
8. Dan Brown
9. J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien (tie)

What fiction do we most enjoy?
Among those who read, 79 percent said they have read at least one fiction book in the past year. The favorites:

* Mystery, thriller and crime: 48 percent
* Science fiction: 26 percent
* Literature: 24 percent
* Romance: 21 percent
* Graphic novels: 11 percent
* Chick-lit: 8 percent
* Westerns: 5 percent
* Other fiction: 36 percent

What non-fiction do we most enjoy?
Among those who read, 78 percent said they have read at least one non-fiction book in the past year. The favorites:

* History: 31 percent
* Biographies: 29 percent
* Religion/spirituality: 26 percent
* Politics: 17 percent
* Self-help: 16 percent
* Current affairs: 14 percent
* True crime: 12 percent
* Business: 10 percent
* Other non-fiction: 29 percent

Not Going to City Council on November 1

Here is the message I got from the Mayor's office:

Mayor Wiggins said the City Council passed our 2011 budget at last night’s meeting (our #1 priority over the past couple months). If no pertinent or time-sensitive business arises by Nov. 1, he said that meeting may be cancelled, and suggested that the Nov. 15 meeting, 7:00 PM, might be a better one for the students to attend. Or if you want to plan on Nov. 1, I will make a special note to let you know ASAP if that meeting is cancelled.

Therefore, we will be visiting City Council on Monday, November 15 at 7 p.m. Your research papers on the city and council are still due November 1 -- this will give me a chance to look them over and comment on them before we actually go.

I'm working on another little "surprise" for November 1. We likely will still need our drivers for a different kind of field trip. Stay tuned.

Want to Hear Jerry Jenkins?

If two or three of you would like to go to this, I'll offer free transportation and will buy you supper. Or...if you feel you need to get back for the evening...we could just stay for the afternoon session. Let me know by e-mail if interested.

Free Writing Lecture Featuring
Jerry B. Jenkins
author of the Left Behind series (63 million copies sold)

Thursday, November 4, 2010
1-3 p.m. Rupp Commmunications Center
Taylor University, Upland, Indiana

Presented by the Dept. of Professional Writing
Dr. Dennis E. Hensley, Chairman

Jerry B. Jenkins will be presenting a two-hour talk on aspects of professional writing from 1-3 p.m. in the Rupp Theatre. Later, from 7-8 p.m., Jerry will be back in the auditorium to show clips from movies made based on his novels and to talk about his life as an author. He will do a question and answer session with the audience at both the 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. presentations. Both events are open to the public at no cost. An autograph party will be held at 8 p.m.

Do ou Have an 'Angel Story?'

Do you have an "angel story" to tell? Here may be a publishing opportunity.

True Angel Encounters Sought for Angel Digest, Compilation of Extraordinary Stories by Ordinary People

CRANSTON, RI, Oct. 18 /Christian Newswire/ -- Sometimes ordinary people have the most extraordinary true stories about angel encounters. Angelnook Publishing is it seeking such stories for its planned Angel Digest publication.

The digest will give hope and inspiration to thousands of people who have experienced such miraculous encounters, as well as those seeking truth. These heartwarming and often moving stories cross nearly all religions and faiths, and have been reported by people around the world.

Submitting a story is simple; people need to simply fill out a form at AngelDigest.com. These true angel stories will be reviewed by the editorial team at Angelnook Publishing, publishers of spiritual and divinely-inspired books and art.

Contributors will be informed via e-mail if their story has been accepted for publication, and each contributor whose story is published will receive a free copy of the Angel Digest. Those who submit stories will not be compensated, but will be part of an inspirational and uplifting project.

Contributors can remain anonymous, and Angelnook Publishing reserves the right to reject submissions its believes is not appropriate for the digest. People with angel stories can also upload images, which may be included in the Angel Digest publication.

For more information, go to: www.AngelDigest.com.


Christian Newswire