Free Republic

Tom Squitieri, a 16-year veteran of USA Today, resigned from the newspaper yesterday after his editors said he lifted quotations from other newspapers without attribution. A statement by USA Today cited an article by Mr. Squitieri, published on March 28, that "included quotes taken from The Indianapolis Star that were not attributed to the newspaper." The Star and USA Today are both owned by Gannett. The newspaper added: "Squitieri's actions violated USA Today's standards on sources and attribution." In addition, the newspaper said Mr. Squitieri, 51, a Pentagon reporter and a former foreign correspondent, lifted quotations used in other articles...

A USA Today Pentagon correspondent, Tom Squitieri, resigned under pressure today after the paper learned he had lifted quotes from another newspaper for a front-page story and used several other quotes, without attribution, that were cut during the editing process. In a March 28 piece on the Army falling behind in ordering armored Humvees for Iraq, Squitieri quoted Brian Hart of Bedford, Mass., whose son was killed in the war. The same quote appeared, word for word, in the Indianapolis Star in May 2004: "My son called me the week before he was killed. He said they were getting shot...