To our readers:

We, the University Press, apologize to you.

Our sports editor was recently caught plagiarizing multiple paragraphs from several news outlets in the football edition post publication.

Parts of stories from the Bleacher Report, Underdog Dynasty, Al.com, the Sun Sentinel, Athlon Sports and Life, ESPN, WVLT TV, and a Wikipedia article were found scattered throughout the special issue.

As of publication time, we’ve notified and apologized to each outlet and this editor has been suspended from the University Press staff without pay. We are currently moving toward separation within university procedures.

A college newspaper is a unique place.

We’re surrounded by the people we work with every day. We eat together, we go out together, and we spend hours developing a unit with a unique culture that only the college newsroom understands.

Countless discussions arise on ethics and how to handle controversial situations while we’re still learning the ins and outs of journalism. We pick it up as we go along, and the lessons we learn drive the staff closer and closer together.

One of the toughest situations to face involves making an ethical and moral decision surrounding a staffer and a close friend, someone who understands this weird culture we’ve find ourselves immersed in.

While this editor was a friend, we still have to abide by a Code of Ethics the second we set foot in the newsroom. And it’s our responsibility as journalists to ensure that our product, both in print and on web, upholds that code.

We don’t believe we have the right to report the wrongdoings of others without informing the public of the wrongdoings committed within our organization.

Sincerely,

The University Press Staff