July 2, 2007, - 11:29 am

Hannity’s Schlussel’s America: Blatant Thief Sean Vannity Steals from Schlussel Again

By
**** SCROLL DOWN FOR UPATE ****
Surprise. Ego-Without-Substance Sean Hannity has blatantly stolen from me, yet again.
What would do without me? As you’ll recall, Vannity (a nickname for him coined by Michael Savage) –for eight days in a row!–, without a single word of credit to me.
But it appears that all of his several ego-driven shows, including “Hannity’s America”–the latest franchise of the bloated Hannity ego expansion, should be renamed in the interest of truth in advertising. The more appropriate name would be “Hannity’s Schlussel’s America” and my name should probably be added to his radio show, too.


For the last two weeks, I’ve been getting reports from readers that Hannity flat out stole the . Readers told me that on Hannity’s nationally syndicated ABC Radio Show, Hannity read virtually word for word from my column, passing it off as his own commentary. And apparently, he did the same, again, last night on the “Hannity’s Schlussel’s America.”
As readers will recall from the episode of Sean stealing my work on Al-Husainy, Hannity is shameless in lying and trying to cover up his plagiarism when he’s been exposed. He claimed–on his ABC radio show–“we discovered the Imam.” Uh, no you didn’t. (A simple Lexis-Nexis search would bear out that everyone had discovered the guy before Vannity.) He admitted to me that he ripped off my work, uncredited, and promised to credit me. But never did. It took the gutsy and valiant on “Hannity’s America.”
Readers have told me that Hannity has been ripping off this site and my exclusive work, all year long. So, it’s hard to jibe that with the fact that he repeatedly calls himself “the right wing poster boy for all that’s good in America.” Since when does he think being the White, “conservative” (real conservatives respect property rights) version of Joe Biden and Jayson Blair is all that’s good in America? It ain’t.
So Sean, when do I start getting credit for my work? When do you start having a conscience and some ethics? The answer to both of those questions is apparently a big, fat Sean Vannity ego-sized “NEVER.”
Now, I know how Rush Limbaugh feels–since Hannity is a substandard repeat of the excellent Rush, every single weekday.
E-mail Sean Hannity, his producer John Finley, and FOX News Vice President Bill Shine and ask them why they continue to steal from me and refuse to give proper credit. Call Finley (212-301-3194) and Shine (212-301-3289) and register your disappointment.
**** UPDATE: As one reader–whose e-mail is representative of the many I’ve gotten–wrote:

I didn’t watch the whole segment because it was “old news” to me, thanks to you – I was essentially waiting for him to cite you, and it never happened. He had some civil rights attorney in his “hot seat” trying to defend the footbaths . . .




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8 Responses

Debbie, maybe he isn’t that involved in the theft. Even Katie Couric was victimized by a thievieng staffer who was supposed to make up her personal thoughts and ended up plagiarizing them. It’s hard to find good ghostwriting help these days. BTW what’s your hourly rate?
PUH-LEEZE. HE’S COMPLETELY INVOLVED. HE ADMITTED IT TO ME. AND HE’S THE ONE MAKING THESE ABSURD CLAIMS ON THE AIR THAT HE “DISCOVERED” THIS STORY AND THAT STORY. HE’S THE ONE WHO PICKS WHAT GOES ON HIS SHOWS. I’M WELL AWARE OF WHAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES WITH HIM. HE’S DELIBERATELY DOING THIS. THIS AIN’T NO KATIE COURIC THING. STOP DEFENDING HIM. AND, BTW, KATIE COURIC ADMITTED THAT THEY RIPPED JEFF ZASLOW OFF, AND APOLOGIZED. NEVER THE CASE WITH COMPLETE THIEF AND SHAMELESS PLAGIARIST HANNITY. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE EGO.
DEBBIE SCHLUSSEL

Anonymous1 on July 2, 2007 at 12:53 pm

Debbie,
I hate it that Hannity steals your stuff. I was watching last night when he had on that buffoon attorney who was justifying the installation of foot-washers. It was humorous to hear him to explaing to Hannity that getting prayer and the 10 commandments out of schools and courthouses is “separation of church and state” but having the public funds pay for foot washers is a “simple accomodation.” PULLEZE!!
I wondered if he would dare take your stuff from the DS site without permission or giving credit–but I was/am still glad that Hannity did expose what is going on–I wish they all would. (Hey if he’s going to steal from someone, he takes from a great source).
I will email Hannity and the producers you cite here and register my complaint for not giving you proper credit. Thanks for making this known, Debbie.

BB on July 2, 2007 at 1:52 pm

Debbie, you aren’t the only one. I read your BLOG, among several others including Michelle Malkin’s, regularly. It was kind of weird, after I visited MM’s website, I later listened to Hannity and he virtually did her BLOG verbatim. Not only on topic and content, but in story after story, in the exact same order.
No, it was not the usual pack mentality of a hoarding press that follows a single story. MM, like you, will have a different focus on the events of the day, and Hannity has often run with whatever she posts.
It’s as if his show prep is based on MM’s BLOG. He’ll reference (and read) the links she provides. He may, or may not, give her credit. I’ve not noticed. The scary thing is when he reads text on air. He sounds so uncertain, as if he is reading the referenced material for the first time.
He often cherry picks comments to BLOGS. Comments to BLOGS for goodness sakes. What does that say about his standards and work ethic. Reading the most ridiculous expletive filled tirades to demonstrate the positions and attitudes of those he disagrees with.
Yeah, it stinks that Hannity is ripping you off and it is no solace that you are in good company. You and MM are not the only ones. Fortunately, you do have a voice, you are being heard and are believed.
BTW, I think that first comment was being a tad sarcastic, albeit a feeble attempt.

zyzzyg on July 2, 2007 at 2:02 pm

Debbie,
I USED to watch Hannityís show on FOX NEWS, and I used to listen to his radio show. He would always brag about how he was a conservative first and a Republican second. I stopped watching and listening to him as he continued to defend the Bush administration no matter what.
I really canít stand to look at him anymore and his voice is now kinda grating.

Rocky on July 2, 2007 at 4:20 pm

Debbie, thanks for confirming what I already suspected. I’ve put in my two cents via e-mails.
I’ve always been leary of Sean anyway because of that goodie-two shoes demeanor (ie. “You’re a great American”). Not to mention his taste for nothing but country music. Spare me. His partner Colmes is much more refined in his taste for music.

Mikra on July 3, 2007 at 6:03 pm

Sean VANITY is the EVS of broadcast journalism. Neither VANITY nor EVS have had an original thought since 1983. These morons must depend on others to think for them. Both VANITY and documented pervert Bill O’Reilly are a disgrace to FOX.
La Shawn Barber PREVIOUSLY addressed this issue of plagiarism by Sean VANITY on 2/8/2007. Yet VANITY continues to steal from DS.
Barber wrote, “I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be to do all the leg work for a story, only to have someone, especially a fellow conservative, steal from you. Debbie isn’t making any headway with Hannity or the producer, so I wanted to raise awareness about what’s going on. As Debbie mentioned, conservatives supposedly are big property rights supporters. Well, intellectual property counts, too.
Sometimes the issue of whether someone plagiarized is fuzzy. Other times, it’s crystal clear. If Sean Hannity’s information about the terrorism-supporting imam was obtained from Debbie’s work, and if he didn’t cite DebbieÔø?s work, it’s plagiarism.
Shame on you, Sean. But it’s not too late to make amends.” – http://tinyurl.com/2xupvg
O’Reilly is frequently challenged by his critics, who question his accuracy on issues. On the May 19, 2000 broadcast of the O’Reilly Factor, O’Reilly repeatedly told a guest who brought up his “tabloid” past: “We won Peabody Awards . . .. We won Peabody awards. A program that wins a Peabody Award, the highest award in journalism, and you’re going to denigrate it?” O’Reilly had made the same claim on the May 8, 2000 broadcast of the O’Reilly Factor, as well as the claim of a single Peabody on the August 30, 1999 broadcast of the O’Reilly Factor.
In the March 1, 2001 Washington Post Reliable Source column, Al Franken corrected O’Reilly’s claim – it was actually a single Polk award (won for reporting that was done after O’Reilly left the show). In the same column, O’Reilly admitted to confusing the two awards. A few days later, O’Reilly changed the story, and stated that he had never made the Peabody claim.
The numbers for the second quarter ’07 show MSNBC with the most growth of any cable news network. Bill O’Reilly must be especially unhappy to learn that Keith Olbermann’s Countdown showed the most growth up 72% and up 54% in the key demographic. O’Reilly can still claim he’s number one for now but The Factor’s growth was only 7% and 16% in the key demographic.

J Leyn on July 4, 2007 at 10:47 am

Deb, you’re right on the money. Thanks for the call. Brilliant as always. Sounds like a plan 😉 KUTGW….

PhilEBinson on July 26, 2007 at 6:26 pm

i watch hannity. i am sorry he steals your stories, but am very glad it gets on the air. please keep letting americans informed about islams plans, even if you don’t get the credit. there are unsung heros. i might be dating myself, remember hector heathcoat?

coldjoint on October 26, 2007 at 8:07 am

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