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11/17/2004 Archived Entry: "Writer Is Suing the Author of a Hit Book on the Bushes"

Posted by steve @ 03:30 PM EST [Link]

IT COULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED TO A NICER HACK: What is it with people in the mainstream journalism industry -- or as close as Kitty Kelley gets to that -- that makes them hate blogs but then steal from them?

A freelance writer in Alabama, who early this year reported on George W. Bush's activities in Alabama in 1972, contends that Kitty Kelley plagiarized material from his article in her recent best-selling book about the Bush family.

The writer, Glynn Wilson of Birmingham, Ala., filed suit last month in Federal District Court there against Ms. Kelley and Random House Inc., accusing them of copyright infringement and asking for a judgment of $5 million.

Katherine J. Trager, a senior vice president and general counsel for Random House, the corporate parent of Doubleday, the book's publisher, called the lawsuit "meritless" and said the company was "confident that we will obtain its dismissal."

The dispute centers on several passages in Ms. Kelley's book, "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty," that describe Mr. Bush's work in Alabama in 1972 on the campaign of Winton Blount for United States Senate. Mr. Bush's activities that year were a source of debate during the recent presidential campaign because of questions over whether Mr. Bush fulfilled his duties with the National Guard while in Alabama.

Seven paragraphs of material in the book, totaling about 400 words, repeat verbatim or closely track sections of Mr. Wilson's article, titled "George W. Bush's Lost Year in 1972 Alabama." The article, which can be found at www.southerner.net/blog/awolbush, was published on Feb. 2 on Mr. Wilson's Web site, Southerner Daily News. Ms. Kelley's book was released on Sept. 14.

Read on.