THE whiff of a plagiarism scandal at Fairchild Publications has not exactly reached epic proportions.
One questionable item was killed before publication, the company insisted.
Several sources said that an item filed by reporter Jennifer Weitzman for Women’s Wear Daily, the flagship of the Newhouse-owned division, was lifted from Reuters.
WWD editorial director Ed Nardoza declined to identify the reporter but conceded that there was an incident, which had been first reported earlier this week by trade publication Folio, without identifying the reporter.
WWD “has always had a vigilant editing and checking process,” said Nardoza, who is also vice president, associate editorial director for the group.
“We believe that nothing questionable or improper has appeared in our pages.”
He declined to identify the reporter, per company policy.
But sources were buzzing that it was Weitzman, who left the company several weeks ago.
Reached yesterday, she said the whole matter was “basically about a blurb” and blamed her axing after nearly six years at the company on a “conflict of personalities” with her new editor, Arthur Zackiewicz, who arrived from another Fairchild pub a few months ago.
“The Reuters story was the same as the press release,” Weitzman insisted.
Reached yesterday, Zackiewicz said, “I can’t talk about that. Thanks for calling.” He then hung up the phone.
* Media Ink solved another mystery that had Daily News staffers breathless with anticipation – that deposed Editor-in-Chief Pete Hamill was coming back.
The rumor mill was churning when Hamill, who had a short nine months in the top job of the Mort Zuckeman-owned paper in 1997, met with Zuckerman’s editorial director Martin Dunn on Tuesday.
But now Hamill himself says he’s not coming back for a second round in the washing machine.
“It was a totally innocent thing,” Hamill said of his meeting with Dunn. “I’m not looking for a job – thank God.”
Hamill said his sudden appearance in the Snooze offices was work-related – but only because the paper plans to do an excerpt from a book about Madison Square Garden for an upcoming anniversary special.
The Harry Abrams picture book, “The Gardens of New York” has an intro written by Hamill that was being condensed for the paper.
Hamill said he then went down to say hello to Bill Boyle who in turn introduced Hamill to Dunn, the British-born editor who so far has had no luck in filling the editor-in-chief job.
“We had a cup of coffee and a 10-minute conversation,” Hamill said. “I left to have lunch with my old friend Bill Gallo.”