Copycatty Coulter Pilfers Prose: Pro

NY Post ^ | July 2, 2006 | PHILIP RECCHIA

[publius1]

Conservative scribe Ann Coulter cribbed liberally in her latest book, "Godless," according to a plagiarism expert.

John Barrie, the creator of a leading plagiarism-recognition system, claimed he found at least three instances of what he calls "textbook plagiarism" in the leggy blond pundit's "Godless: the Church of Liberalism" after he ran the book's text through the company's digital iThenticate program.

He also says he discovered verbatim lifts in Coulter's weekly column, which is syndicated to more than 100 newspapers, including the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Sun-Sentinel and Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle.

Barrie, CEO of iParadigms, told The Post that one 25-word passage from the "Godless" chapter titled "The Holiest Sacrament: Abortion" appears to have been lifted nearly word for word from Planned Parenthood literature published at least 18 months before Coulter's 281-page book was released.

A separate, 24-word string from the chapter "The Creation Myth" appeared about a year earlier in the San Francisco Chronicle with just one word change-"stacked" was changed to "piled."

Another 33-word passage that appears five pages into "Godless" allegedly comes from a 1999 article in the Portland (Maine) Press Herald.

Coulter did not respond to requests for comment.

[F.J. Mitchell]

A million, a billion, a gazillion? That's exactly the point I was trying to make.

Everyone including amateurs such as myself, maybe you too, stumble upon phrases, lyrics, puns, quips and whatever, and think,"Hey! That was stolen from me".


Let's face it. The likelihood of ever again writing one simple sentence that is ours alone, is overwhelmed by the odds that it has already been written.

[tertiary01]

Isn't that another liberal precept: "The seriousness of the charge.....?"

[Psycho_Bunny]

That's what I was thinking....no examples....no links to examples.....It's all just "He claims"...."He says"...

F'im.

[paulat]

I was told by someone who worked for a newspaper that that was how most folks read a paper: they read the headlines and maybe a paragraph ot two of the actual article. The longer it is, the less most actually read.

So there's a reason they write them that way.

I can verify that....

In the dead-trees media, you have to write your story that way because you never know where it has to be snipped to fit the page.

Sensation up top...details straggle behind and may be snipped.

[Blue Highway]

The left doesn't like to see conservative books selling well.

[Pikachu_Dad]

"SUE! ;o)"

I would, but somebody else alread owns the word SUE - and then I would get sued.

[Larry Lucido]

I disagree. A direct quote lifted from an opponent whom one is trying to subtly disparage by mimicry is a legitimate tactic, albeit one that should be safe, legal and rare.

[InvisibleChurch]

Isn't that another liberal precept: "The seriousness of the charge.....?"

Yes. It is listed under II. A-2 : The Hysteria of the Headline

[NittanyLion]

A direct quote lifted from an opponent whom one is trying to subtly disparage by mimicry is a legitimate tactic, albeit one that should be safe, legal and rare.

That's a fair point. I'd be interested in the context, because as one poster pointed out above, using an opponent's words to disparage them isn't exactly stealing their ideas...

[Fester Chugabrew]

Once again Ann's points are not substantially addressed. "She's too shrill," and "She uses other people's words," doesn't cut it. The bright light of truth shines on these cockroaches and they squeal like stuck pigs.

[roaddog727]

If put all together, it would just about make a paragraph.

As such, the good Ms. Coulter will forevermore be condemned to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune by having to attend the New York times school of good writing - (also know as Avoiding Plagarism 101).

BWAAA
HAAAAAAA
HAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[maine-iac7]

I would, [sue] but somebody else alread owns the word SUE - and then I would get sued.

you're good! :o)

[Tax Government]

iParadigms has access to a very large corpus of published work, copied into electronic form. Was it obtained legally?

[LibertarianInExile]

No, no, I hope they sue her for plagiarizing their material.

That would be a thing of beauty, them providing even more FREE publicity for her book while STILL not refuting its point.

[Pikachu_Dad]

What's sad is my liberal family members will have somewho absorbed this complaint from the ether and will believe it...

oh the tragedy.

liberal group think travels at the speed of light.

[rogator]

"Truthless, The Creed of Liberlism."

Is it truthless or toothless?

[billbears]

Why? If they read the article after they've read the book, they'll realize not only how bad the book was (which it was) but also that Coulter is a plagarist. That's exactly what the article points out.

[billbears]

Come on Non. Don't point that out. I've been told that Coulter is the greatest gift to conservatism since Ronald Reagan, greater even than George Will. Some gift....I would dub her the Queen of one liners, but hell as this article shows they probably aren't even her one liners!!

[Non-Sequitur]

I've been told that Coulter is the greatest gift to conservatism since Ronald Reagan, greater even than George Will.

Mmmm hmmm. So I've heard.

[AmericanChef]

What I was saying is that if - IF - it was messy, more accurate editing might be in order. If that's a problem, don't see how. Clearly this isn't her last book.