After an Examiner.com contributor—the operative term is “examiner”—lifted a story from Stars and Stripes national correspondent Megan McCloskey and slapped his byline on it, he tops it with a letter confessing to not giving her “all the credit.” Here’s the pitiful apology, as published by blogger Jim Romenesko (after the jump):
Megan:
It was not my intention to pass off your story as my own. I screwed up since I always give proper credit when I use information from someone else especially when I quote word for word. Writing, as you know, does not always come from personal information and other sources must be used. Your story just had to be reprinted and I did, but I failed to give you all the credit. For this, I deeply apologize. If you sued me for my earnings, you would get a whopping $3.65. We make practically nothing on our articles. It is just a hobby.
I would like to rewrite the story with your permission and quote you plus give you all the credit due. My entire military career has included reading the Stars and Stripes every day. You guys do a great job for the troopers. Keep up keeping them informed.
John “Jack” Pretti
