FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
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Roundup: Hinson Plagiarism Scandal Exposed
Hinson’s plagiarism habit — including content stolen from Congresswoman Finkenauer’s website — revealed by the New York Times and several Iowa outlets
DES MOINES — Yesterday, the New York Times exposed State Rep. Ashley Hinson’s history of repeatedly plagiarizing in campaign materials, published op-eds and more. After the report was published, Hinson took to Twitter to deflect responsibility for her campaign’s blatant plagiarism — yet a tweet from her own account posted in April claimed that Hinson herself had written the materials.
Here’s a look at what Iowans are reading about Hinson’s plagiarism scandal:
The New York Times: A former television reporter running for Congress from Iowa plagiarized passages at least a dozen times.
“When Ashley Hinson introduced Mr. Trump during a 2017 rally, she said ‘I’m what you would call a recovering journalist.’ Her recovery apparently did not include maintaining basic standards of offering credit when lifting passages of text from another source, including The New York Times.
“Ms. Hinson, a Republican state representative in Iowa who is running against Representative Abby Finkenauer in what figures to be one of the nation’s most competitive House districts, has lifted verbatim sentences on her campaign website and in published op-eds more than a dozen times since her campaign began last year.”
The Hill: Iowa GOP House candidate pulls multiple sections from website amid plagiarism accusations
“In an April op-ed in The Gazette, the state representative used several phrases that had appeared in a CNBC story published days before. Her platform on veterans issues also reportedly included almost the same phrasing as Finkenauer’s platform, The Times reported.”
CBS: Iowa GOP Congressional candidate Ashely Hinson says she did not know phrases and sentences that appeared on her campaign website and op-eds were plagiarized
“Hinson went on to say that the staff responsible for the drafts she received will be held accountable. A source familiar with the Hinson campaign tells CBS News that changes to senior level advisers and consultants with the campaign are going to be expected moving forward.”
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Ashley Hinson cites staff after New York Times uncovers plagiarism
“One example was an essay titled “Creating America’s new normal: China must be held accountable,” which contained three passages identical to a March 11 New York Times story, the Times reported.
“Hinson, a former television journalist, responded on Twitter: ‘I was unaware of the plagiarism when I reviewed drafts presented to me by staff. As a journalist I take this extremely seriously and am deeply sorry for the mistake. The staff responsible will be held accountable.’
“The Hinson campaign took down some of the pieces that contained copied passages from other outlets after being informed by the Times, the Times reported.”
KCRG: Hinson apologizes, blames staff after journalist uncovers plagiarism
“‘I was unaware of the plagiarism when I reviewed drafts presented to me by staff. As a journalist I take this extremely seriously and am deeply sorry for the mistake,’ Hinson wrote in the post. ‘The staff responsible will be held accountable.’
“The Times showed paragraphs from Hinson’s website which copied a story from that newspaper word-for-word, accounting for 91 words out of a 642-word page. The article listed other examples of passages taken from other news outlets, including the Des Moines Register and The Hill.”
KGAN: Iowa congressional candidate apologizes and blames staff for plagiarism
“The Times found two of its own published works lifted from a post and placed on her website. They found several other cases of plagiarism from other sources including the Des Moines Register, CNBC, The Hill, and even from Finkenauer’s website.”
KWWL: GOP House candidate Ashley Hinson apologizes after New York Times alleges plagiarism
“Ashley Hinson, a former TV reporter and anchor now running for House District 1 against incumbent Rep. Abby Finkenauer, is being accused of plagiarizing.
“Hinson is a Republican who currently represents Iowa’s 67th district. The New York Times alleges Hinson ‘lifted verbatim sentences on her campaign website and in published op-eds” more than a dozen times since 2019.’”
Telegraph Herald: Hinson apologizes for plagiarism after N.Y. Times story, blames staff
“Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Marion, on Monday apologized for plagiarism that the New York Times reported finding on her campaign website and in published opinion pieces and blamed a staff member.
“Hinson is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer for Iowa’s First Congressional District seat in a tightly contested race that has garnered national attention.”