It works this way and it is very simple. Reporters from different beats, maybe a half dozen or sometimes a lot more, send in notes and thoughts to a central source. Then writers pick and choose the information they want. What usually happens is the writer taking the info re-writes it in his or her own words. Obviously, Ron did not do this.

These things are leftovers from the old days of sports journalism, mainly the 1980s, when newspapers used to run these massive notes columns (the Globe and a handful of papers still do them) and because of time constraints you needed extra help. ESPN still does these things but you will notice heavy attribution on ESPN and SportsLine.

Yeah, we'd say "Leftover" is the right term there. Not only is this lazy, of course, but it appears to have been beamed in from a universe where the Internets do not exist. It's very easy to solve this problem; look at what Buster Olney does every day at ESPN. That is the ultimate notes column, but it cites and links to all its sources and, you know, doesn't just cut and paste copy and call it "by Buster Olney." It's really simple, kids. Honest.

The full email is after the jump.

Ron Borges Suspended, But He's Not Alone [Deadspin]

———————

Will: I'm shocked you have not heard of these things. That other site has it slightly wrong. They are not really private forums; that makes it sound like some sort of exotic, porno-like thing. They are pretty simple.

I participated in one of these things years ago but quit because they are unbelievably lazy. Plus, I went to a newspaper that forbid participating in them.

It works this way and it is very simple. Reporters from different beats, maybe a half dozen or sometimes a lot more, send in notes and thoughts to a central source. Then writers pick and choose the information they want.

What usually happens is the writer taking the info re-writes it in his or her own words. Obviously, Ron did not do this.

These things are leftovers from the old days of sports journalism, mainly the 1980s, when newspapers used to run these massive notes columns (the Globe and a handful of papers still do them) and because of time constraints you needed extra help. ESPN still does these things but you will notice heavy attribution on ESPN and SportsLine.

The old school guys have not evolved and still use these old notes systems despite the fact the Internet has completely changed the universe.

Two last things. One, these notes things are stunningly lazy. They should be banned and many newspapers now no longer allow this type of sloppy journalism. Or if they do, they require heavy policing and attribution.

Second, I know Deadspin hates Ron, but he is an excellent reporter and one of the best writers in the country. I may not agree with his vendetta against the Patriots but he is extremely talented. I cannot explain what happened here, however.

One last thing in his defense. Ron made a mistake but I can guarantee this. He is not alone. This type of things happens all the time. Reporters steal other info, sometimes verbatim in these notes columns, from other writers. I would say dozens of reporters plagiarize every week in these things. I have seen it many times. Particularly when it comes to the NFL. Ron got caught because a website hates him and was out to get him, but I cannot stress enough how much this happens all the time with many NFL and baseball writers.

Like many times in our business, one person is busted for a mistake many others make.

But that's not the most intriguing part of this story. In a followup to their initial report, Cold, Hard Football Facts quotes a media "insider" that Borges' crime is common and, even, accepted.

Our source said there are private media forums out there for exchanging content. Sando and Borges both participate in one of these private media forums. Apparently, it's understood that information that appears in this forum is open for use by any other participant - at least according to this source. He says that he knows that Sando published his Feb. 25 column in this forum and that the assumption for other forum participants, such as Borges, was that it was free for him to use.

OK ... what? "Private media forums?" Is this what it has come to? Have reporters become so lazy that they all have a big pool of info they just dip into whenever they need? We understand that there are "pool" reporters at certain events, but we didn't realize "the NFL" was something that required "pool" reporters. Is there a Web site where reporters just log on with a password and share material? Anybody know anything more about this? Because the scary part is not that Borges plagiarized; the scary part is that, while just changing a few words, everybody is.

OK, This Is Right From Chief Troll [Cold Hard Football Facts]
Globe Suspends Sports Reporter Borges [Boston Globe]
Ron Borges' Cut And Paste Job [Deadspin]
Notes Exchange On Scandal [DanShanoff]

On Feb. 25, Mike Sando wrote (14th & 15th paragraphs):
Jackson was leading the NFL in touchdowns last season when a turf-toe injury forced him to miss the final three games. The injury prevented Jackson from achieving his third 1,000-yard season in four years and the fourth overall.

Jackson still led the Seahawks with 63 catches for 956 yards and 10 touchdowns.

On March 4, Ron Borges wrote (2nd paragraph):
Jackson was leading the NFL in touchdowns last season when a turf-toe injury forced him to miss the final three games. The injury prevented him from reaching his third 1,000-yard season in four years, but Jackson still led Seattle with 63 catches for 956 yards and 10 touchdowns.

That's bad enough, but there are six other instances that are taken, almost verbatim. You can compare them here and here. In their rundown, Cold, Hard Football Facts concludes that Borges wants to be fired, and comparing the two columns, it's difficult to argue with them.

Borges Lifts Article From Tacoma News Tribune [Cold, Hard Football Facts]
Mr. Popularity [Boston Magazine]
Why Your Hometown Columnist Sucks: Ron Borges [Deadspin]

"This really sent Katz over the edge. In Zorro-like fashion, he began waving his cane menacingly, poking at Borges' chest. The Boston writer advanced on Katz. And then the melee broke out. HBO Sports executive Kery Davis, trying to break things up, grabbed Borges' head. Four other guys jumped Borges from behind, trying to pull him back. Bodies were seemingly flying everywhere, one of them landing on Arum, knocking him down. Adding to the chaos, one of Arum's PR men, thinking he had heard gunshots, dove on his boss to protect him. 'Get the (expletive deleted) off me,' Arum screamed."

"This fellow (Belichick) has cornered the market on convincing people with the help of his friends that no one has ever worked harder than he does and he's out, uh, you know, when everyone else is sleeping, he's working, when everyone else is eating, he's working, uh, I could say something, but I won't ... about uh, how at least some of his time is being spent..."