Disgraced columnist lands job at Examiner

A columnist from the Baltimore Sun who was caught stealing material from other newspapers has found a home at billionaire Phil Anschutz's Baltimore Examiner. Michael Olesker abruptly resigned from the Sun a year ago after he was caught lifting material from the Washington Post, New York Times and other papers. Here's a detailed report from Baltimore's alt-weekly, City Paper. In announcing Olesker's return to journalism, Examiner Publisher Michael Phelps didn't use the word "plagiarism." Instead Phelps wrote, "All of us who are honest with ourselves have found ourselves benched in one way or another over the years (or will). Handling benchings with grace is the mark of first-class hitters, pitchers and newspaper columnists." Interviewed by a local TV station, Phelps said, "I don't think it is relevant to our readers." Olesker isn't the first columnist to be dogged by plagiarism allegations. Molly Ivins has twice been caught stealing material and continues to be published in some of the nation's biggest newspapers.