By Debbie Schlussel

Sadly, the left doesn’t have the monopoly on plagiarists, intellectual property thieves, and rip-off artists.  For example, Monica Crowley–who worked for Richard Nixon as an intern–had nothing new to write about Nixon, so she ripped off an article, word-for-word from writer Paul Johnson, even copying his Britishisms. That’s why the Wall Street Journal never again published “her” work.

Washington Times Editor David Mastio Shamelessly Defends Plagiarism

And, today, I learned that Washington Times “reporter” Anath Hartmann believes that if you change a couple of words and phrases, you can rip off my work.  Flat-out steal it. It isn’t the first time, but that doesn’t make the robbery any better. Two years ago, I spent several hours researching and writing about the Hoping Foundation, a British pro-Palestinian foundation that funds ostensibly Palestinian kids’ art programs. My exclusive research and reporting found that, in fact, the money goes to HAMAS- and Al-Qaeda-controlled refugee camps to programs that masquerade as “art, but are really anti-Western, anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, and anti-American propaganda.

Sadly, the very lazy, unethical and dishonest Washington Times ganif [Yiddish for thief] Anath Hartmann didn’t feel like coming up with her own ideas or crediting my hard work. Instead, she did it the Jayson Blair way, she stole it. Below, is the main rip-off.

Debbie Schlussel Original Reporting, DebbieSchlussel.com, June 23, 2008:

The Hoping foundation is a virulently anti-Israel charity, which funds programs throughout Gaza and Palestinian refugee camps, including Ein Al-Hilweh, Burj Al-Barajneh, and Nahr Al-Bared, which are hotbeds of Al-Qaeda and HAMAS activity. . . .

The Hoping Foundation camouflages the programs as “art” and “creative writing,” claiming they spread peace. But, in fact, the programs are administered by members of HAMAS.

The Washington Times’ Plagiarist Anath Hartmann’s blatant rip-off, July 13, 2010:

The Hoping Foundation is a wildly anti-Israel group that funds various “arts” programs for children in Palestinian refugee camps throughout the West Bank and Gaza. These camps include Nahr Al-Bared, Ein Al-Hilweh and Burj Al-Barajneh, all known centers of Hamas and al-Qaeda activity.

The children’s programs – funded by leftist faux do-gooders like Ms. Moss and the rest of her long-culturally-irrelevant charity posse – are run by Hamas members.

I guess if you change the word “virulently” to “wildly” and “administered” to “run,” that makes your plagiarism okay with the Washington Times, which defends her obvious stealing. Moreover, Hartmann deliberately reversed the names of the refugee camps I researched and reported, a sleazy move designed to hide her blatant, willful rip-off. And you can bet that Hartmann–whose “work” has previously appeared in the Georgetown Hoya, the American Journalism Review, and the Jewish Press–has done it before. What else has she stolen? You can bet pretty much every word that’s ever appeared under her name and byline. You don’t just begin plagiarizing in your late 20s. By then, it’s an old habit. Most of her college and high school papers are probably total rip-offs.

Yup, clearly stolen, and sanctioned by her plagiarism-loving editor Washington Times Deputy Editorial Page Editor David Mastio (a former Bush speechwriter), who thinks the theft is A-Okay. (How many Bush speeches were rip-offs?) He says that because there is a tiny link to my site on the word “anti-Israel,” it’s okay to rip off an entire paragraph of my work and research word-for-word, without credit. He calls that “citing my work.” It is no such thing. Contrast that with the liberal New York Times, which finally fired Jayson Blair, after the outrage of conservatives for doing the same thing, ripping off the writing of other reporters and writers. Where’s the outrage now? I knew someone would rip this piece off, which is why I posted at the top of it:

By Debbie Schlussel Copyright 2008
**** Must Cite Debbie Schlussel and link to DebbieSchlussel.com;

I guess I posted that for my health?

Well, Mastio has something of a weird fetish for plagiarists–mostly women plagiarists. He was an editorial page editor at USA Today, when Reason’s Cathy Young famously plagiarized, nearly word-for-word a USA Today editorial for her then-Detroit News column, and an online column of mine for another Detroit News column. Mastio gushingly defended her plagiarism in online comments at the Poynter Institutes website. Then, when Jack Kelley, USA Today’s star “investigative reporter,” famously plagiarized hundreds of reports and op-ed columns for the paper, Mastio, I’m told, is one of those at the top of USA Today, who looked the other way and excused it, despite complaints from reporters . . . for YEARS.  For Dave Mastio, honor among thieves in journalism is honor among plagiarists.  He’s got your back.

Yup, stealing is okay for Dave Mastio, so long as you’re stealing words and research. But don’t try taking his money or house. In those cases, he’s a hypocrite. Ditto for his Washington Times editorials attacking Barack Obama for taking your money. Hey, at least Barack Obama is honest and open that he’s taking from you. Mastio and Anath Hartmann, well, that’s a different story. They can take from you whatever they want because–ya know?–it’s all for the cause.

And the cause is . . .? Other than stuffing their bank accounts and fraudulently earned reputations as conservative “journalists,” I’m not quite so sure what it is. Either way it has the same philosophy as those on the Marxist far left: the ends justify the means.

Below is my e-mail to David Mastio, Deputy Editorial Page Editor of the Washington Times, below, after he essentially told me “F-U” and stood by his thief. I encourage you to write him (dmastio@washingtontimes.com) and common thief Anath Hartmann (ahartmann@washingtontimes.com) . . . and to wonder what–if anything–that appears on the pages of their paper isn’t ripped off from hard-working, real journalists and writers like me. The more you read Mastio’s publication, The Washington Times, the more you are approving of and enabling Dave Mastio’s and Anath Hartmann’s stealing.

From: Debbie Schlussel writedebbie@gmail.com
Date: Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 2:22 PM
Subject: Re:
To: David Mastio dmastio@washingtontimes.com, cbryant@washingtontimes.com

Uh, clearly reading comprehension is a problem for you, or you need new glasses. In fact, I am NOT cited. There is a tiny link on the word “anti-Israel” to my site (that’s not a citation), when in fact that complete paragraph is copyrighted and obviously stolen from my site with two words changed, as you well know. This is shameless theft, and I will now take further action, since you, David Mastio, defend plagiarism. Good to know–and I’ll let everyone else know–that you support Jayson Blair style “journalism.” I remember you back from your days at USA Today, when you defended Cathy Young’s clear plagiarism of half a USA Today editorial column, virtually word for word, as well as a column of mine, which everyone else saw was clear theft. She, too, changed a word here and there to try to get away with it, just as Jayson Blair did (but the NYTimes apparently does have higher standards after all and fired him). Some things never change. You support robbery, so long as it is in print, and chicks who steal are your strange fetish. They clearly turn you on. Bonnie from Bonnie & Clyde was clearly ahead of her time. Had she been born a few years later, she’d have your sad apologism as her defense. Well, at least you are consistent.

And now, I will make sure to let people know. Hey, I’d offer to rip off your work to make things even, but there ain’t a sentence you’ve written that’s original or worth it, sad to say. And unlike you, I don’t approve of dishonesty or fraud. But I’ll remember that you do and remind everyone, the next time your paper criticizes Obama or anyone else for stealing, since you clearly don’t have a very handy mirror. I WILL pursue this further. If only Jayson Blair was a conservative, he could get away with it . . . so long as David Mastio was his boss. Anath, you are a ganif, plain and simple, and I will make sure people know what a fraud you are, starting with a blog post. Thank you very little for your shameless stealing. Disgusting.

Schlussel Original:

The Hoping foundation is a virulently anti-Israel charity, which funds programs throughout Gaza and Palestinian refugee camps, including Ein Al-Hilweh, Burj Al-Barajneh, and Nahr Al-Bared, which are hotbeds of Al-Qaeda and HAMAS activity.

The Hoping Foundation camouflages the programs as “art” and “creative writing,” claiming they spread peace. But, in fact, the programs are administered by members of HAMAS.

Hartmann Plagiarism/Copyright Violation:

The Hoping Foundation is a wildly anti-Israel group that funds various “arts” programs for children in Palestinian refugee camps throughout the West Bank and Gaza. These camps include Nahr Al-Bared, Ein Al-Hilweh and Burj Al-Barajneh, all known centers of Hamas and al-Qaeda activity. The children’s programs – funded by leftist faux do-gooders like Ms. Moss and the rest of her long-culturally-irrelevant charity posse – are run by Hamas members.