OH-07: Austria Plagiarism Story Spreads to Traditional Media UPDATED

Stories today in the Dayton Daily News and its sister publication the Springfield News-Sun pick up my story about State Sen. Steve Austria (R-Beavercreek) plagiarizing his Labor Day column in the Xenia Gazette from a Department of Labor publication.

Austria doesn't deny that the copying occurred. His response is that "a citation was inadvertently omitted when a member of Austria's legislative staff produced the first draft of the column" and "there was no intention to deceive anyone."

That response wholly misses the point. The column would still be copied even if the source were disclosed. It would still be painfully apparent that Austria added nothing of substance to the column on his own. Here is the only paragraph that contains nothing borrowed from the DOL publication:

Today, the nature of the Labor Day celebration has undergone change. Labor Day is now celebrated with picnics, barbeques, firework displays, water activities and public art events, local community parades and families with school-age children who take advantage of Labor Day as the last chance to travel prior to the end of summer. In addition, one of the largest modern traditions of Labor Day in United States is the annual telethon of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, hosted by Jerry Lewis to fund research and patient support programs for the various diseases grouped as muscular dystrophy. Each year, this telethon raises tens of millions of dollars.

Nothing in there about labor, as opposed to picnics and telethons. Does Austria have anything original at all to say about the actual subject of his column?

The problem with Austria as a potential member of Congress is that he has nothing distinctive to offer. My sources in the district refer to him as a "political lackey" from whom nothing is to be expected but "regurgitated pablum." Even the Dayton Daily News, in its tepid endorsement of Austria in the GOP primary, said as much:

Nor, unfortunately, has [Austria] impressed many observers as a future major force in Congress. He has no compelling record.

He's no Dave Hobson or Mike Turner. He doesn't have Rep. Hobson's tough independence of mind and political incisiveness. He doesn't have Rep. Turner's record of building a political career from scratch in a hotbed of the opposing political party.

A Congressman Austria is not likely to crash and burn in Washington, any more than he did in Columbus. In fact, what he's most likely to do is settle into a long, long career of keeping people back home happy, while remaining on the congressional back benches.

In other words, bland and boring. A column cobbled together by a staffer from a government document is about what you'd expect. As the Dayton Daily News concluded, retiring Rep. Dave Hobson (R-Springfield) "did not serve his district well" in promoting this uninspiring state senator as his chosen successor.

UPDATE: OMG. This is from blogger Bonobo, submitted in the comments -- the one paragraph I thought was wholly Austria's was copied from Wikipedia:

From the current Wikipedia entry 'Labor Day':

Today, Labor Day is often regarded as a day of rest and parades. Speeches or political demonstrations are more low-key than May 1 Labour Day celebrations in most countries, although events held by labor organizations often feature political themes and appearances by candidates for office, especially in election years. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer.

Up until Aug 21, 2008 the Wikipedia entry also included:

Labor Day traditions
Since 1966, the annual telethon of the Muscular Dystrophy Association has been held on Labor Day weekend. The telethon, hosted by Jerry Lewis, raises tens of millions of dollars each year to fund research and patient support programs for the various diseases grouped as muscular dystrophy.

2nd UPDATE: Plagiarism story also picked up by WYSO, the public radio station for the Miami Valley.

3rd UPDATE: The Xenia Gazette reports today (9/4) on the plagiarism story.