Ali,
        Thanks for the query.  I agree with you. I was surprised that
one of the allegations against him included: "never leaving the
newsroom--covering news by phone" because, I was shocked to see this
as everyday practice at the Philadelphia Inquirer last summer, this
practice seemed to be the norm.  Most people did not go on the
streets--the phone was the most used tool for gathering news.  I
agree with you about how common place plagiarism has become. Even so,
I do not condone it or defend it, but unless a whole string of others
who have been accused in the past few  years are brought before a
judge and jury at AEJ, then he should not either.  The only name that
is consistently cited in journalism text books when it comes to
plagiarism is Janet Cooke  and a good many others have been accused
before and after her.  I would hate to see Blair added as the second
consistent one to be recorded in the annals of journalism history.

--
A. Fleming-Rife, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
304A James
College of Communications
The Pennsylvania State University
State College, PA 16802

(O) 814-865-8135