Yesterday at 9:00 a.m., we posted a review by A.B. Koontz of the movie Rubber. Last evening, a commenter alerted us that several sections of the review had been plagiarized from other online sources, including but not necessarily limited to: the Nashville Scene and Shadows on the Wall. Upon verifying the commenter’s allegations, we closed the article.
It’s a bit of a surprise when someone decides to pass off another’s work as his own, and it’s not something that we have encountered before, or that we take lightly. We are thoroughly embarrassed, we deeply regret this occurrence, and we will take every precaution to prevent something like this from happening again. Also, Mr. Koontz will no longer be writing for Smile Politely.
Mr. Koontz made the following statement:
There were quotes and bits taken to help guide the writing and in the end some were left in as is. I was very rushed and obviously used horrible judgment. That of course is no excuse. I, personally, take full responsibility for this and truly apologize for this egregious error.