Columnist for The Independent suspended over plagiarism row
The Independent has suspended columnist Johann Hari following a row over plagiarism.
The Guardian reports that the interviewer and columnist has been suspended for two months pending the outcome of an internal investigation by former Independent editor Andreas Whittam-Smith.
Journalists and bloggers have accused Hari of plagiarism, saying that he claimed that some quotes were made to him during interviews, when in fact they were taken from old sources.
The Guardian also claims that the latest allegations relate to a pseudonym used by Hari where he would edit Wikipedia to made ‘unflattering’ edits about other journalists.
Simon Kelner, the editor of The Independent, who initially defended the former Orwell prize for political journalism winner, has admitted that an internal investigation is underway to find out which editors were previously aware of the situation.