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    Local Newspaper Columnist Plagiarises From The Guardian, The Daily Mail And The Spectator

    Surely it would have been easier to have just written it yourself? Update: the newspaper says they will "no longer be accepting columns" from the writer.

    Guardian columnist Stuart Heritage wrote a column last month on reasons to love winter. You can read it here.

    Earlier this morning it was brought to his attention that his column may have been plagiarised by columnist Carly Fallon from The Press And Journal, a local newspaper for Aberdeen.

    He then tweeted her article for others to compare to his own.

    Here's what I have worked out.

    When the first snowflake hits the ground, everything transforms. Trains seize up. Schools close. Everybody gets a day off, even if they work from home. The naysayers might whine that snow never stops anything in Canada, but that's because they're genetically opposed to fun.
    And then, when the first snowflake hits the ground, everything transforms. Schools close; trains seize up. Everybody gets a day off, even if they work from home. Of course, people whine that Canada battles on regardless of the weather, but that's because Canadians have to yet grasp the concept of fun.

    Update - Lucy Mangan, another Guardian columnist, has accused Carly Fallon of plagiarising one of her articles for the same column. This is an article she wrote in 2009.

    Every day I add another jumper to my ensemble... By Christmas, I am nothing more than an ambulatory heap of knitwear. The children next door think I'm a Womble, even though, as I've pointed out to them on many occasions, Catford is technically farther away from Wimbledon than the sun.
    Every day, I add another jumper to my ensemble. By Christmas, I am nothing more than a heap of knitwear and the children next door think I'm a womble.

    Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett has also accused Carly of doing the same. Here is a piece she wrote on Tuesday.

    Once inside my house, outdoor clothes are cast away in favour of a variety of items chosen for their place on the cosiness scale, with no attention being paid to their eccentricity.
    Once inside my house, outdoor clothes are cast in favour of a variety of items carefully selected for their place on the cosiness scale, the more eccentric the better.

    Twitter users even mentioned that a recent Jan Moir column from the Daily Mail has strikingly similar words to her column.

    Hurrah for the mass break-out from Fake Tan Jail for a start, an end to the sloughing and creaming and brown ankle build-up, not to mention the gently baffling odour of sour baked biscuits.
    At last, an end to sloughing and creaming and brown-ankle build-up from the lasings of fake tan, not to mention the bizarre odour of sour based biscuits.

    There are also similarities with a Toby Young column from "The Spectator" written in 2011.

    The period that stretches from Halloween to Guy Fawkes Night has got to be the worst week of the year if you're a parent of young children. At the time of writing, I've managed to get through one and have one to go.
    Speaking of children, I have come to the conclusion that the first week of British winter must be the most tedious if you are a parent. We've all seen it: the circus that stretches forth between Halloween and Guy Fawkes.

    Update (5:02pm GMT) - Damian Bates, Editor of The Press And Journal has issued this statement:

    "Obviously plagiarism – in any form – is totally unacceptable.

    "I take this matter very seriously indeed and have decided that we will no longer be accepting columns from freelance writer Carly Fallon.

    "I'm deeply disappointed this situation has arisen and apologise for any upset this has caused anyone."