Union Leader Admits It Plagiarized Hockey Blogger's Post, Another Joe McQuaid Screw-Up

January 07, 2011   3:11 pm EST 

Union-Leader Admits It Plagiarized Hockey Blogger's Post 
by Sydney Smith, StinkyJournalism.org 

The New Hampshire Union-Leader published an admission of a lack of proper attribution after hockey blogger Joe Proulx at Backyard-Hockey.com claimed his work was plagiarized by the newspaper.  

However, Union-Leader editors failed to apologize or use the "p" word -- plagiarism -- unlike other news outlets (see examples here and here). 

The freelancer who committed the failed attribution is no longer working with the Union-Leader.

Proulx first called out the plagiarism in a Jan. 4 blogpost.  He explained that he spotted a story in the Union-Leader that lifted eight paragraphs from his blog. Proulx claimed that the Union-Leader plagiarized his Dec. 29 blog post reporting an interview with Manchester Monarchs' hockey team president Darren Abbott (see here).

Describing his discovery of the plagiarism, Proulx blogged:

"The article then changed the subject to the one-day Manchester Monarchs Pond Hockey Classic tournament that will take place in Manchester, NH, one week later. This is where Backyard-Hockey.com starts feeling awfully flattered. Because of the remaining thirteen paragraphs in the article, eight of them were stolen from this very website."

As evidence, he published several side-by-side comparisons of text (see here), noting that the Union-Leader changed "off-ice" to "office." 

Proulx wrote:

"Despite the blatant theft of my hard work, Backyard-Hockey.com is not given any credit in the Union Leader article. All credit is given to the story’s author, Roger A, and two contributing staff reporters, John H and Marc T. I have no idea which one of these three writers is responsible for the use of my work, and it’s entirely possible that two of the writers have no idea that the text was copied (for this reason I’ve chosen to exclude their full names.) But at least one of them does. And it makes me angry."

Proulx explained in a follow-up post Jan. 5 that he e-mailed the Union-Leader's news vice president asking for an apology and attribution -- placed "above the fold on the front page of the sports section."

"It’s not much to ask, and it’s the right thing to do. I put in the time and effort to gather and produce the information your writers stole, so it’s the least you can do," Proulx stated his e-mail read.

According to Proulx's blog, the news vice president, Tami Plyler, responded (emphasis ours): "We recognize that attribution should have been made. There will be a clarification to that effect on tomorrow’s sports page." To characterize the lack of proper attribution as anything other than plagiarism that necessitates a correction and apology is inadequate in StinkyJournalism's view.    

Proulx blogged that his "initial reaction" to Plyler's e-mail "was a combination of anger and annoyance."  But, he concluded that at least he was getting the attribution he sought.

The newspaper did print a "clarification," to which Proulx blogged "I am genuinely pleased that they followed through on their promise."

The clarification read:  "In an article on upcoming New Hampshire pond hockey tournaments that appeared on Page D1 of Tuesday's New Hampshire Union Leader, the primary reporter on the story failed to attribute quotes from Manchester Monarchs president Darren Abbott, as well as other information, to the website Backyard-Hockey.com."

Proulx told StinkyJournalism via e-mail that he hasn't had any further contact with the Union-Leader since the clarification was published.  Asked if he's received any apology from anyone at the Union-Leader, Proulx wrote: "No, I was curious to see if the offending writer would reach out, but as of right now, they have not."

However, he criticized that the newspaper didn't acknowledge the extent to which information was taken from his blog.  Instead of admitting eight paragraphs were taken, the Union-Leader wrote "quotes" and "other information" were taken.  Proulx also criticized the newspaper for putting the blame on "the primary reporter."

Proulx told StinkyJournalism that an anonymous commenter wrote on Proulx's blog that the freelancer had been let go from the Union-Leader as a result. 

StinkyJournalism wrote to the freelancer -- Roger Amsden -- who confirmed that he was responsible for the plagiarism and that he had lost his job over the incident.  Amsden explained that he "thought he was reading a press release which the blogger had written an introduction to."

In conclusion, Proulx opined:

"My emotions have gone from anger and betrayal to vengeance and determination to gratitude and an overwhelming feeling that the hockey community is very much alive, close-knit, and willing to back up one of their own. And now, a day later, I’m trending towards apathy. They did it, I proved it, they 'clarified.' They didn’t apologize, per se, but they clarified."

StinkyJournalism asked Proulx if he was satisfied with the clarification -- or if he just didn't want to pursue it any further.  He wrote via e-mail that he's decided to stop pursuing any further response from the Union-Leader.  He wrote to StinkyJournalism:

"I've chosen not to pursue it any further, primarily because I've seen others in similar situations not receive any response whatsoever, or if they do receive a response, it's the publication backing their writer and challenging the assertions of the blogger (I'm most familiar with the Toronto Sun/Pension Plan Puppets ordeal from August 2010, as it involved another hockey blog). That the Union Leader VP responded, then followed up on her promise, is probably the most I could have hoped for.

"That said, I'm still puzzled how plagiarism such as this is taken much more seriously in a high school classroom than it is in the ranks of professional journalists."

StinkyJournalism has written to the Union-Leader and will update with any response.

The Union-Leader's plagiarism is the latest in the past few months involving a blogger and a more prominent news outlet.  In early November, blogger Monica Gaudio claimed her work was plagiarized by magazine Cook's Source (which is now defunct as a result of the plagiarism incident).  Later that month, two bloggers claimed Jay Leno's Tonight Show lifted their Taylor Swift montage video concept without attribution.  In late December, Orange County Register reporter Kevin Ding claimed ESPN anchor Will Selva lifted part of his column. 

StinkyJournalism previously wrote about the Union-Leader when it announced it would not publish gay wedding announcements. 

Meet the Hypocrite of the year, Joseph W. McQuaid, publisher of the New Hampshire Union-Leader

Ken Williams - SDGLN Editor in Chief
October 25th, 2010

Joseph W. McQuaid, publisher of the New Hampshire Union-Leader in Manchester, N.H., is as conservative as they get.

From his bully pulpit as the head of New Hampshire’s largest newspaper, McQuaid is a powerful figure whose opinion carries a lot of weight in the Northeast. McQuaid is in the hot seat this week for banning gay wedding announcements in his paper even though marriage equality is the law of the land in New Hampshire.

The heat is so strong that he issued this statement:

"This newspaper has never published wedding or engagement announcements from homosexual couples. It would be hypocritical of us to do so, given our belief that marriage is and needs to remain a social and civil structure between men and women, and our opposition to the recent state law legalizing gay marriage.

                      Joe McQuaid Anti-Gay Bully (photo by Janet Kayson)

That law was not subject to public referendum and the governor (John Lynch) who signed it was elected after telling voters that he was opposed to gay marriage. Indeed, in no state where the public has been allowed a direct vote on the subject has gay marriage prevailed.
We are not "anti-gay."

We are for marriage remaining the important man-woman institution it has always been.While the law sanctions gay marriage, it neither demands that churches perform them or that our First Amendment right to choose what we print be suspended. In accordance with that right, we continue our longstanding policy of printing letters to the editor from New Hampshire citizens, whether or not they agree with us."

Sorry to break the news to you, Mr. McQuaid, but you are anti-gay. If you oppose gay rights, you are anti-gay. If you oppose marriage equality, you are anti-gay. If you refuse to print gay wedding announcements in a state where gays and lesbians can legally marry, you are anti-gay.

You are our Hypocrite of the Week.

Joe McQuaid Publisher of the Union Leader Guilty In Criminal Misdemeanor Violation of NH State Law

By: Cara Stevens

Monday January 10, 2011

Manchester, NH— Joe McQuaid Publisher of the financially strapped, anti-gay and racist Union Leader is in trouble with the law for a violation of NH State Law RSA 651.5.XII, a criminal misdemeanor.

"The issue is that an innocent man was charged with crimes by the Londonderry Police Department brought by an Nashua, NH woman and ex-convict who was refused a rental apartment by the man because she had a criminal record, was a drug addict and worked as a stripper," said Pam Herridge, who is familiar with the case. "The woman filed what has been confirmed were false assault and criminal threatening charges against the man and the Londonderry NH Police Department failed to investigate the evidence in that case; evidence that would have exonerated the man early on and in many respects the Londonderry Police attempted to railroad the innocent man," said Herridge. 

The charges against the man were eventually dropped when the woman fled NH when pressed to testify. The woman  had attempted to file similar charges against three other men in the past five years, the Londonderry NH Police Department knew this, yet failed to investigate that evidence.

"That is true and is another story regarding the illegal actions of the Londonderry, NH Police Department, those criminal violations are currently under investigation by the NH Attorney General, the Criminal Investigation Unit along with the actions of Joe McQuaid," said Herridge. "Mr. McQuaid is known to be a bully from his pulpit the tabloid Union Leader, as well as anti gay and a racist, this is well documented, even by CNN," Herridge said.

    

   Joe McQuaid Publisher of Union Leader Known as Anti-Gay Now In Legal Trouble

All the charges against the innocent man have since been expunged by the Rockingham Superior Court. The NH law RSA 651.5.XII makes it illegal to report information on an individual who has had charges brought against them but where the charges were either dropped or a non-guilty verdict was reached and where the arrest and charges were later annulled and expunged, as in this case.

RSA 651.5.XII, reads as follows: A person is guilty of a misdemeanor if, during the life of another who has had a record of arrest or conviction annulled pursuant to this section, he discloses or communicates the existence of such record.

"The piece from Joe McQuaid's Union Leader is clearly in violation of this law, Joe McQuaid is not above the law and this is not in any way a First Amendment case, this is pure and simply a criminal violation of a law that is on the books," Herridge said. 

Joe McQuaid and Tami Plyler, the Editor of the Union Leader were notified of the violations of NH State law but refused to remove the articles. The Union Leader’s attorney Gregory V. Sullivan of Malloy & Sullivan, Lawyers, 78 West Merrimack Street Manchester, NH 03101, provided the following written response to the violation of RSA 651.5.XII:

"I represent the Union Leader Corporation and its employees and agents. I do not agree with your opinion regarding the duties of media following the annullment (spelled as written by Sullivan) of arrest or court records," said Sullivan. "I will be pleased to discuss this matter with you, or your representatives, at any time," said Greg Sullivan.

However when contacted (over seven times) Mr. Sullivan suddenly refused to respond or to comment on the articles and the violation of the RSA. “I have read over the Union Leader’s articles and the facts of the case and the articles are sensationalistic, the facts distorted and no real balanced substance regarding the facts exists in the articles, basically something a cash strapped tabloid would write to sell papers,” said Jane Dunn, a journalist of more than seven years currently pursuing an advanced degree in journalism.“Mr. Sullivan seems to think he can overwrite the law on the books in NH without any regard to due process,” Dunn said.

There are strong sentiments about this case, Joe McQuaid has been on the hot seat lately accused of being anti gay and racist, a bully, out of touch with average people in NH, uneducated with only his high school GED and no college education, holding his position because of 'daddy' and now this incident where Joe is breaking the laws of NH.

“Joe McQuaid and Tami Plyler have purposely destroyed this man’s life by reporting information about the unidentified man that he was falsely accused of back in 2009, the man was cleared of all charges and received an annulment by a NH Superior Court,” said Casey Clark, a family friend of the man. “Joe McQuaid and Tami Plyler should be held accountable for their actions in destroying this man’s life. He has lost everything because of this case and continues to be persecuted by the Union Leader. He lost his job, his house, could not find another job because of the negative articles written by the Union Leader, it’s disgusting what Joe McQuaid and his so called news organization have done, I hope he is arrested and convicted of the misdemeanor,” said Clark.

Clark also stated that she believed that Joe McQuaid and Tami Plyler did not run articles about bad cops being charged with crimes.

“There was a case where Londonderry Police Officer Jason Archambault was arrested in Manchester in January 2009 and charged with assault against his wife. This is a charge that the public has a right to know about, yet even though it was reported directly to Joe McQuaid and to Tami Plyler, they never ran the piece. It is obvious that they will not run stories, the truth about the police, because Joe McQuaid is in bed with the police, that is clear,” said Clark.

                                       Jason Archambault Story Link: 

http://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2010/12/nh-londonderry-police-officer-jason.html      

Al Getler the Sleazy Publisher of the Eagle Tribune Prints False Comments About State Representative Elect Paul Adams; Al in Trouble Again

By Cara Stevens

It seems Al Getler, the sleazy Publisher of the Eagle Tribune and Derry News is up to his old tabloid tricks again by libeling State Representative-Elect Paul Adams (see full story below).

This is consistent with Getler's sleazy, unprofessional, yellow journalistic tactics that have driven sales of the tabloid Eagle Tribune and Derry News into the ground

Let Al Getler know what you think by contacting him at:

Al Getler
40 Hickory Ln
Stow, MA 01775
740-404-2214
al@algetler.com
agetler@eagletribune.com 

                                                                     Al Getler
By Bill Gilman

State Rep.-elect Paul Adams fired back at a Merrimack Valley newspaper over the weekend, in the wake of questions raised regarding his resume and the source of $50,000 in campaign contributions.

                                               State Representative Elect Paul Adams
                                             
In a press release, Adams, an Andover Republican, referred to Eagle-Tribune employee Keith Eddings a "rogue reporter" and accused the North Andover-based daily of publishing "slanderous" articles.

In an article published in the Nov. 28 Eagle Tribune, Eddings wrote that Adams had outspent Patricia Commane by a 2-to-1 margin in the race for the Legislative seat from the 17th Middlesex District (which includes a portion of Tewksbury) and that Adams had loaned $50,000 to the campaign. Referring to state election financial statements, Eddings wrote that it could not be determined where that $50,000 came from and that Adams may have broken as many as three campaign finance laws.

The report sparked a call from State Democratic Party officials for an investigation of Adams by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF).

While acknowedging the possibility that he committed procedural mistakes in reporting financial information, he steadfastly denied being intentionally deceptive or committing ethical violations.

"The sole source of the approximately $50,000 that is the subject of the OCPF review, whose inquiry I welcome, was my own personal funds. The sources of most of these were tax-exempt gifts from immediate family members," said Adams, in the press release. "Any errors in the financial reporting or disclosure of those monies, assuming, without admitting, that there were such errors, were, at the end of the day, the result of political inexperience, nothing more."

The Eagle-Tribune article further stated that Suffolk University officials disputed Adams' claim that he graduated with honors (cum laude) from that Boston School. The article also called into question other campaign claims by Adams regarding his work record and travel abroad.

"Slanderous articles in one media outlet authored by one rogue reporter have consistently and falsely reported that I had misstated my academic credentials and employment history," said Adams.

Adams posted a copy of his Suffolk University diploma on his campaign website, as well a letter from Suffolk, attesting to his graduation with honors (see attachments).

"Another example of false reporting: it was contended by that same rogue
reporter in several stories that I had not worked as a consultant with a certain entity because I had not been paid by that entity," said Adams, in the release. "Again, those reports are blatantly false."

Adams holds that he did work as a consultant for the agency in question for three years.

In short, these reports that I made knowingly false or inaccurate statements about my educational and employment history are themselves false, and worse still, those reports may have been knowingly false when made," said Adams, in the release. "These are just two of several inaccuracies."

Adams said he would decline to comment further about the $50,000 he loaned his campaign until the conclusion of the OCPF investigation.

E-mails to Eagle Tribune Publisher Al Getler, Editor-in-Chief Al White and reporter Keith Eddings, seeking comment on Adams' allegations, were not returned.

Tami Plyler Executive Editor of the Union Leader In Criminal Misdemeanor Violation of NH State Law being investigated by NH Attorney General’s Office

Tami Plyler Executive Editor of the Union Leader In Criminal Misdemeanor Violation of NH State Law being investigated by NH Attorney General’s Office

Friday October 8, 2010

By: Cara Stevens

Manchester, NH--- Tami Plyler the new Executive Editor of the financially strapped Union Leader is already in trouble with the law after less than two months in her new job for a violation of NH State Law RSA 651.V.XII, which is a criminal misdemeanor.

Edward C. Domaingue, the licentious former Executive Editor who was forced out by the Union Leader last month ran a series of stories in 2009 and again in 2010 that were written by Trent Spiner, a junior level journalist who has since also fled the beleaguered tabloid.

The issue is that an innocent man was charged with crimes by the Londonderry Police Department brought by Jennifer Keller of Nashua, NH who was refused a rental apartment by the man because Keller had a criminal record, was a drug addict and worked as a stripper.

The woman filed assault and criminal threatening charges against the man and the Londonderry NH Police Department failed to investigate the evidence in that case; evidence that would have exonerated the man early on and in many respects attempted to railroad the innocent man. The charges against the man were dropped when Keller fled NH when pressed to testify. Keller had attempted to file similar charges against three other men in the past five years, the Londonderry NH Police Department knew this, yet failed to investigate that evidence.

Chief William Hart and four of his officers and one detective are currently being investigated by the NH Attorney General's Office Criminal Investigation Bureau regarding numerous violations surrounding this case. The officers and one detective include (Officer Glenn L. Aprile, Officer Jason M. Archambault, Officer Kelly W. Kulig, Officer James J. Freda and Detective Donald A. LaDuke). Chief Hart could not be reached regarding a comment. The criminal allegations against Chief William Hart and his officer’s range from abuse of power; violations of the Fourth Amendment, false arrest and detention and excessive use of physical force. All the charges against the innocent man have since been expunged by the Rockingham Superior Court; in essence the incident did not occur.

The NH law RSA 651.V.XII makes it illegal to report information on an individual who has had charges brought against them but where the charges were either dropped or a non-guilty verdict was reached and where the arrest and charges were later annulled and expunged.

RSA 651.V.XII, reads as follows: A person is guilty of a misdemeanor if, during the life of another who has had a record of arrest or conviction annulled pursuant to this section, he discloses or communicates the existence of such record. The piece from Tami Plyler as editor continues to be found online and clearly falls into this violation of NH State Law.

“Basically Tami Plyler is in violation of this NH State law, as the articles are not correct and the information contained in the piece are downright lies written by Trent Spiner and approved by Ed Domainque and continue to be allowed to be run online by Tami Plyler,” said Jane Dunn, a journalist for the Fifth Estate. “I have read over the Union Leader’s articles and the facts of the case and the articles are sensationalistic, the facts distorted and no real balanced substance regarding the facts exists in the articles, basically something a cash strapped tabloid would write to sell papers,” said Dunn.

Tami Plyler was notified of the violations of NH State law but refused to remove the articles. The Union Leader’s attorney Gregory V. Sullivan of Malloy & Sullivan, Lawyers, 78 West Merrimack Street Manchester, NH 03101, provided the following written response to the violation of RSA 651.V.XII:

“I represent the Union Leader Corporation and its employees and agents. I do not agree with your opinion regarding the duties of media following the annullment (spelled as written by Sullivan) of arrest or court records, said Sullivan. “ I will be pleased to discuss this matter with you, or your representatives, at any time, “ said Greg Sullivan.

However when contacted Mr. Sullivan refused to respond or to comment on the articles and the violation of the RSA. “Mr. Sullivan seems to think he can overwrite the law on the books in NH without any regard to due process,” said Casey Clark, a close family friend of the man.

“Tami Plyler and Ed Domaingue have purposely destroyed this man's life by reporting information about the unidentified man that he was falsely accused of back in 2009, the man was cleared of all charges and received an annulment by a NH Superior Court," said Clark. “Tami Plyler should be held accountable for her actions in destroying this man's life. He has lost everything because of this case and continues to be persecuted by the Union Leader. He lost his job, his house, could not find a job and the worst thing out of everything is the depression that followed where the man attempted suicide, it's disgusting what this woman and her so called news organization have done, I hope she is convicted of the misdemeanor," said Clark.

Clark also stated that she believed that Tami Plyler did not run articles about bad cops being charged with crimes.

"There was a case where Londonderry Police Officer Jason Archambault was arrested in Manchester in January of this year and charged with assault against his girlfriend. This is a charge that the public has a right to know about, yet even though it was reported directly to Tami Plyler, she never ran the piece. It is obvious that she will not run stories, the truth about the police, because she is in bed with the police, that is clear," said Clark.

Al Getler, Former Puppet Comedian Makes a Joke Out of the Eagle Tribune

Original Writer Tom Duggan, Reposted on NY Free Press

Tom Duggan

The Eagle Tribune newspaper, head-quartered in North Andover and owned by Alabama-based Community News-paper Holdings, Inc. announced last week that at least 52 employees have been laid off in the largest ever downsizing measure taken by the company.

In a memo to employees, publisher Al Getler, a puppet comedian prior to being hired by the daily newspaper, said the layoffs were “in response to difficult market conditions,” and bragged in the newspaper that the Eagle Tribune was “the best source of news and information in the Merrimack Valley.”

                                      Al Getler, A Puppet Comedian Turned Publisher 

Sources within the newspaper say that the layoffs affect at least one news reporter and two copy editors at the North Andover facility as well as massive cuts in the newspapers’ circulation department and layoffs in some of the Tribune’s weekly newspapers such as the Derry News.

“This was a CYA situation,” one Eagle Tribune employee told The Valley Patriot. “Al Getler is trying to save his own job because his management of this newspaper has cost us millions and the only way he could show the company [in Alabama] that we could be financially viable was to immediately cut jobs to balance the books to meet the company’s financial goals.”

The Rogers family of North Andover had owned the newspaper since 1898. In 2002, the Eagle Tribune acquired other daily papers, including The Salem News, The Gloucester Daily Times and The Daily News in Newburyport.

Only a few short months after Chip Rogers sold The Eagle Tribune newspaper, employees of the daily paper  became so angry and distrustful of new management and their lack of job security that they filed with the Federal Labor Relations Board to organize a union. That effort failed by a vote of 82-52 and employees at the paper say anyone connected with the union issue “were weeded out slowly or dealt with quietly.”

Since the purchase of The Eagle Tribune on September 30, 2005 by the Alabama-based Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., there have been several major changes at the paper.

Key changes in personnel stirred things up immediately at the Tribune including major managerial changes. Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., replaced former publisher Irving “Chip” Rogers, III, and William Ketter, editor and vice president of news who was supposed to be given what they called “a new role” in the organization.

Several staffers, who did not want to be identified by name, confirmed at the time that several other issues had surfaced after the newspaper was purchased, such as Ken Johnson and Bryan McGonigle being suspended for three days (without pay) in July 2005 after an e-mail exchange about the use of racial identities in crime stories. 

The daily newspaper has also been the subject of controversy since then, including an erroneous story on the front page of their Sunday edition claiming one of their reporters witnessed “men in tyvek suits removing asbestos” from the Monarch on the Merrimack building in Lawrence. Despite the fact that they  retracted the bogus story, multimillionaire developer and Monarch owner Bob Ansin said the story cost him a $40 million investment effectively shutting down construction on the $200 million  revitalization project.

In the last two years readers of the Eagle Tribune have seen a significant decrease in news reporting in the Lawrence, Methuen and Haverhill area as coverage of communities in southern New Hampshire have dominated their front page and local reporting.

Last month, The Valley Patriot revealed that Eagle Tribune reporter Yadira Betances had to be forcibly removed from Hanscom Air Force Base when the body of Sgt. Jimenez arrived for a wake and funeral service. 

The following day Betances was also removed from the Jimenez wake at St. Mary’s Church when she  confronted Jim Wareing of New England Caring for Our Military, who was tasked by the Jimenez family to handle the memorial and funeral services.

Circulation for the Eagle Tribune has dropped significantly in the Lawrence and Methuen area including decreases in subscriptions and distribution in North Andover and Haverhill area communities.

Last month, the Tribune ran a front page story revealing the identities and postings of two Haverhill elected officials who had anonymously written messages on the newspapers internet blog sparking outrage in the news publishing business.

“What they did was out a source who posted anonymous messages on their internet blog,” said Haverhill City Councilor Jim Donahue who, along with Haverhill Mayor Jim Fiorentini had posted messages using pen names with the expectation of anonymity offered by the site.

“I don’t see how this is any different than publishing the names and pictures of people who call them on the phone with anonymous tips for news stories,” Councilor Donahue continued.

“What is really troubling is that they were able to, and quite willing to, investigate the blog postings, track the messages back to the people who posted on their website, and then publish that information in their newspaper. It ought to make people very nervous about visiting the site or posting any kind of messages on their blog whether it’s a news tip or just their opinions about their coverage.”

(photo insert of Al Getler with his monkey puppet from http://algetler.com)

Tami Plyler Executive Editor of the Union Leader In Criminal Misdemeanor Violation of NH State Law being investigated by NH Attorney General’s Office

Tami Plyler Executive Editor of the Union Leader In Criminal Misdemeanor Violation of NH State Law being investigated by NH Attorney General’s Office

Friday October 8, 2010

By: Cara Stevens

Manchester, NH--- Tami Plyler the new Executive Editor of the financially strapped Union Leader is already in trouble with the law after less than two months in her new job for a violation of NH State Law RSA 651.V.XII, which is a criminal misdemeanor.

Edward C. Domaingue, the licentious former Executive Editor who was forced out by the Union Leader last month ran a series of stories in 2009 and again in 2010 that were written by Trent Spiner, a junior level journalist who has since also fled the beleaguered tabloid.

                                                       Tami Plyler

The issue is that an innocent man was charged with crimes by the Londonderry Police Department brought by Jennifer Keller of Nashua, NH who was refused a rental apartment by the man because Keller had a criminal record, was a drug addict and worked as a stripper.

The woman filed assault and criminal threatening charges against the man and the Londonderry NH Police Department failed to investigate the evidence in that case; evidence that would have exonerated the man early on and in many respects attempted to railroad the innocent man. The charges against the man were dropped when Keller fled NH when pressed to testify. Keller had attempted to file similar charges against three other men in the past five years, the Londonderry NH Police Department knew this, yet failed to investigate that evidence.

Chief William Hart and four of his officers and one detective are currently being investigated by the NH Attorney General's Office Criminal Investigation Bureau regarding numerous violations surrounding this case. The officers and one detective include (Officer Glenn L. Aprile, Officer Jason M. Archambault, Officer Kelly W. Kulig, Officer James J. Freda and Detective Donald A. LaDuke). Chief Hart could not be reached regarding a comment. The criminal allegations against Chief William Hart and his officer’s range from abuse of power; violations of the Fourth Amendment, false arrest and detention and excessive use of physical force. All the charges against the innocent man have since been expunged by the Rockingham Superior Court; in essence the incident did not occur.

The NH law RSA 651.V.XII makes it illegal to report information on an individual who has had charges brought against them but where the charges were either dropped or a non-guilty verdict was reached and where the arrest and charges were later annulled and expunged.

RSA 651.V.XII, reads as follows: A person is guilty of a misdemeanor if, during the life of another who has had a record of arrest or conviction annulled pursuant to this section, he discloses or communicates the existence of such record. The piece from Tami Plyler as editor continues to be found online and clearly falls into this violation of NH State Law.

“Basically Tami Plyler is in violation of this NH State law, as the articles are not correct and the information contained in the piece are downright lies written by Trent Spiner and approved by Ed Domainque and continue to be allowed to be run online by Tami Plyler,” said Jane Dunn, a journalist for the Fifth Estate. “I have read over the Union Leader’s articles and the facts of the case and the articles are sensationalistic, the facts distorted and no real balanced substance regarding the facts exists in the articles, basically something a cash strapped tabloid would write to sell papers,” said Dunn.

Tami Plyler was notified of the violations of NH State law but refused to remove the articles. The Union Leader’s attorney Gregory V. Sullivan of Malloy & Sullivan, Lawyers, 78 West Merrimack Street Manchester, NH 03101, provided the following written response to the violation of RSA 651.V.XII:

“I represent the Union Leader Corporation and its employees and agents. I do not agree with your opinion regarding the duties of media following the annullment (spelled as written by Sullivan) of arrest or court records, said Sullivan. “ I will be pleased to discuss this matter with you, or your representatives, at any time, “ said Greg Sullivan.

However when contacted Mr. Sullivan refused to respond or to comment on the articles and the violation of the RSA. “Mr. Sullivan seems to think he can overwrite the law on the books in NH without any regard to due process,” said Casey Clark, a close family friend of the man.

“Tami Plyler and Ed Domaingue have purposely destroyed this man's life by reporting information about the unidentified man that he was falsely accused of back in 2009, the man was cleared of all charges and received an annulment by a NH Superior Court," said Clark. “Tami Plyler should be held accountable for her actions in destroying this man's life. He has lost everything because of this case and continues to be persecuted by the Union Leader. He lost his job, his house, could not find a job and the worst thing out of everything is the depression that followed where the man attempted suicide, it's disgusting what this woman and her so called news organization have done, I hope she is convicted of the misdemeanor," said Clark.

Clark also stated that she believed that Tami Plyler did not run articles about bad cops being charged with crimes.

"There was a case where Londonderry Police Officer Jason Archambault was arrested in Manchester in January of this year and charged with assault against his girlfriend. This is a charge that the public has a right to know about, yet even though it was reported directly to Tami Plyler, she never ran the piece. It is obvious that she will not run stories, the truth about the police, because she is in bed with the police, that is clear," said Clark.