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 Schadenfreude  |
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Schadenfreude |
UM launches own probe of ex-reporter's work - N.Y. Times correspondent resigned this month for plagiarism; University to review 30 articles Blair wrote while a student at College Park -*** Blair was a smart person who worked hard to chase stories and develop stories, said Olive Reid, assistant dean of the journalism school. But he also drove himself too hard, she said, not eating enough and picking up a smoking habit. "He was always working so hard to prove himself because he was a bit insecure," said Reid said. "He was always running himself ragged." That drive also made him a polarizing figure, Reid said, a person who sometimes turned people off because of his competitiveness.
Blair discussed it with Reid in a phone conversation the two had last week, after allegations of plagiarism surfaced but before the Times' story Sunday. "The first thing he said was 'I know a lot of people hate me. They're glad it happened and I gave them ammunition. I know they are happy about it,'" she said.
Kunkel said contrary to the Times report, Blair won't be able to return to Maryland to finish his degree. "You're talking about a serial plagiarist and fabulist," he said. "But I do hope he finds a way to finish his college education, because he's going to need it more than ever."***