Wednesday 16 April 2008

Byline oddity

While surfing Sun Media online newspapers last night, discovered a Toronto Sun/Barrie Examiner byline oddity that raises a "what's the story?" question.

Toronto Sun
By Tracy McLaughlin, Special to Sun Media
Barrie - An Etobicoke man who once called himself the "Cut King" and bragged about his skills as a street racer hung his head in shame in the prisoner's box yesterday as he apologized for killing another man during a wild highway race.

Nauman Nusrat, 20, begged for mercy and forgiveness after pleading guilty to street racing causing the death of David Virgoe, 48, of Innisfil, during a frantic 44-km race against two buddies on Hwy. 400 last June 17.

He'll be sentenced May 18.

"I am a sinner, a murderer," Nusrat said to the Virgoe family, who sat weeping in the courtroom. "It was stupid . . . I did not know it would end in a nightmare."

As he spoke, his mother sat alone, silently weeping, in the front row of the court.

Etc.

Barrie Examiner:
Posted By Tracy McConkey
A man who once called himself the "Cut King" and bragged about his skills as a street racer hung his head in shame in the prisoner's box, yesterday, as he apologized for killing a trucker during a wild race on Highway 400.

Nauman Nusrat, 20, of Etobicoke, begged for mercy and forgiveness after pleading guilty to street racing causing the death of David Virgoe, 48, of Innisfil, during the frantic 44-kilometre race, June 17, 2007.

"I am a sinner, a murderer," Nusrat said to the Virgoe family, who sat weeping in the courtroom. "It was stupid. I did not know it would end in a nightmare."

As he spoke, his mother sat alone, silently weeping, in the front row of the court.

Etc.

Two almost identical Sun Media stories, one by Tracy McLaughlin and the other by Tracy McConkey.

So what's the story?

Is it time to call in the plagiarism police, or are the two Tracys one and the same?

If one and the same, why two different bylines?

Just asking.

1 comment:

  1. The London Free Press once ran one of my columns under the byline of "Mike Parkinson," so anything is possible.

    ReplyDelete