User:TenOfAllTrades/Tim Ryan

Tim Ryan is an entertainment journalist, formerly of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. He was fired in 2006, for plagiarising portions of several articles from online encyclopedia Wikipedia and other sources.

Career
Tim Ryan was born in Hollywood, California, the son of actor and screenwriter Tim Ryan (Sr.)

He joined the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 1984, and moved to its entertainment desk in 1990. His Hollywood upbringing made him a natural fit for the entertainment beat, where he wrote a weekly film column ('Reel News') as well as occasional feature articles.

In late 2005, Ryan featured prominently in the Star-Bulletin's 'The Truth' promotional campaign, appearing in a full-page ad and a written profile.

Ryan has written extensively for several entertainment periodicals, contributing to US Weekly, Variety, and People.

Plagiarism
On December 22, 2005 Ryan published an article reviewing an about-to-be-aired television documentary on Aloha Flight 243. Shortly after Ryan's article was published in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, editors of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia and forum members of the news website Fark.com noted similarities between portions of Ryan's article and the Wikipedia entry.

Wikipedia editors immediately posted a comparison of the two articles; over the next few days, several additional instances of apparent plagiarism surfaced. On January 13, 2006 Star-Bulletin Editor Frank Bridgewater announced Tim Ryan's dismissal.

As of February 2006, Ryan had appealed his termination through the Hawaii Newspaper Guild, his union.