Top editor quits in plagiarism scandal
The editor of USA Today – the biggest selling newspaper in the United States - has quit under a cloud of plagiarism and fabrication by star reporter Jack Kelley.
The departure of Karen Jurgensen, 55, who had been editor since 1999, “opens the door to move the USA Today brand forward under new leadership,” said publisher Craig Moon.
A top-level shake up at the newspaper had been expected after three veteran editors delivered a report to Moon on Kelley’s fabrications and recommendations for how to prevent other incidents.
Kelley, nominated by the newspaper five times for the Pulitzer Prize, resigned under pressure in January after admitting to trying to deceive editors checking into the veracity of some of his reporting.
A subsequent inquiry found that he made up major parts of at least eight stories and committed several acts of plagiarism.
The scandal deeply embarrassed USA Today, which fought for years to overcome perceptions that it gave serious news topics short shrift with brief articles, snappy headlines and colourful graphics. The newspaper is the flagship publication of Gannett, the United States’ largest newspaper publisher.
“Like all of us who worked with Jack Kelley, I wish we had caught him far sooner than we did,” Jurgensen said in the announcement to staff members. “The sad lessons learned by all in this dreadful situation will make USA Today a stronger, better newspaper.”
Kelley spent 21 years at the newspaper, starting about the time of its founding and rising to become a globe-trotting foreign correspondent. He co-wrote two books with USA Today founder Al Neuharth.
The debacle at USA Today parallels a scandal last year at The New York Times. Executive Editor Howell Raines and Managing Editor Gerald Boyd stepped down after the discovery of plagiarism and fabrication by young upstart Jayson Blair.
Several USA Today reporters said they had raised doubts about the reliability of some of Kelley’s dispatches. One of the areas addressed by the inquiry into Kelley’s work was the extent to which USA Today’s editors might be held accountable for his transgressions.
