This is shitty and a huge error in judgement on Johnson’s part but I hope that it can be resolved in a way that doesn’t impact the future viability of the Cascadia Weekly. Alt-weeklys play an important role in local politics but are dropping like flies.

Hey, it doesn't get more Alt-weekly than stealing shit that's not yours and not paying for it.

Live the creed, man.

Holy crap! I used to deal with copyright issues a lot in a former occupation. I completely agree with Zahr Said. This looks like a pretty obvious and blatant copyright violation. One incident might be put off as a mistake by an underling or something, but if this has been going on for a decade, and has snagged the copyrighted work of multiple authors, then the Cascadia Weekly has fucked themselves. I don't know what the hell they were thinking. For anyone who works in the industry, this is textbook copyright 101. This level of copyright violation is publishing suicide.

“I forgot copyright violation was illegal” (paraphrasing Steve Martin for my own protection)

Companies steal, that's what they do. They can just declare bankruptcy then open up under a new name like 'Ham Times' or some shit and keep rolling.

Informantion just wants to be free.

Isn't that what you guys said during the Rocket days?

Dammn. Been reading the Weekly for a while. What shitbags. They better pay up

Film reviews in particular would seem to be a pretty specifically odd column to plagiarize. If cost cutting is the concern, I'd imagine they could've probably contracted that shit out to some freelance writers or English grad students for minimal cost. Agree w/ @1 in that the industry doesn't need yet another tombstone, and at least they're stepping up and owning it, FWTW.

@2,

Surprised this would grind your gears in any significant manner. You've always struck me as the type who probably gets the bulk of your news & culture from Reader's Digest and such.

@1 My assumption is that the editor is just finding this out and was previously unaware; in which case, they're doing the right thing by accepting responsibility (an old phrase from my military days: You can delegate authority but not responsibility). In any case, a lot of people gotta be polishing their CVs right about now

I wonder if The Stranger knows how hard the Portland Mercury is coping them :P

@9: I highly doubt that. I have personally caught the editor Tim Johnson plagiarizing in the past. Of The Stranger, no less. In 2008, the weekly ran a voter's guide article that had large pieces lifted word for word from an article in The Stranger a week or two before. I showed this to the bartender where I worked, who pointed it out to Tim, a regular in our lounge. Tim himmed and hawed about it, finally going with it was an oversight that attribution was not given. Next week, they ran an apology and acknowledgement of the author. I also called The Stranger and let them know. Don't know if they ever followed up on it.

@3 -- "This level of copyright violation is publishing suicide."
Sayonara, baby

"Let's hope it's an original statement and not taken from somebody else." --Katie
Wow. Stealing mea culpas...
Has it finally come to this?

Thanks, Hair Furor.
THNX, Republicans!

Is it really any different than the Slog AM where reporting from the Seattle Times is simply copied and rewritten?

@13 Yes.