After Spreading Conspiracy Theories And Denying Biology, Comcast Protects Plagiarizing MSNBC Host

NBC News is remaining silent following revelations that network host Mehdi Hasan previously plagiarized another outlet’s published works early in his career.

On Tuesday, investigative reporter Lee Fang published a Substack report revealing how early in his career, Hasan appears to have “pass[ed] off others’ reporting as his own, sometimes without any citation at all.” In the report, Fang specifically highlights how the text of a 2000 Independent article authored by Hasan — in which he defended spanking children — is nearly identical to that of an article published by U.S. News and World Report two years prior.

In his Independent column, Hasan wrote, “Anti-smacking crusaders have consistently relied upon inconclusive studies to make sweeping over-generalisations about the dangers of smacking.” Meanwhile, the U.S. News and World Report article reads, “Antispanking crusaders relied on inconclusive studies to make sweeping overgeneralizations about spanking’s dangers.”

It isn’t just the beginning of the U.S. News article that Hasan seemingly plagiarized, however. As noted by Fang, Hasan “goes on to copy every single line from the U.S. News and World Report article, save for occasionally swapping out or adding a few words in each sentence.”

Hasan’s 2000 Independent article:

In 1998, even the American Academy of Pediatrics toned down its blanket injunction against smacking, though it still takes a dim view of the practice. In fact, an AAP conference on corporal punishment in 1996 concluded that, in certain circumstances, smacking, or “spanking”, may be an effective backup to other forms of discipline. “There’s no evidence that a child who is spanked moderately is going to grow up to be a criminal or antisocial or violent,” said S Kenneth Schonberg, a paediatrics professor co-chairing the meeting. In fact, the reverse may be true: a few studies suggest that, when used appropriately, spanking makes small children less likely to fight with others and more likely to obey their parents. 

The 1998 U.S. News and World Report article:

This week, even the American Academy of Pediatrics is expected to tone down its blanket injunction against spanking, though it still takes a dim view of the practice and encourages parents to develop discipline alternatives. An AAP conference on corporal punishment in 1996 concluded that in certain circumstances, spanking may be an effective backup to other forms of discipline. “There’s no evidence that a child who is spanked moderately is going to grow up to be a criminal or antisocial or violent,” says S. Kenneth Schonberg, a pediatrics professor who co-chaired the conference. In fact, the reverse may be true: A few studies suggest that when used appropriately, spanking makes small children less likely to fight with others and more likely to obey their parents.

Hasan’s apparent infatuation with plagiarism would resurface years later when writing his first book. In his biography on former Labour Party leader Ed Miliband, Hasan, according to Fang, took a sentence “directly from an article published by journalist Andy McSmith in The Independent a year prior to the publication of [his] book.”

NBC News did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment on whether Hasan’s record is consistent with the network’s journalistic standards, whether the network was aware of Hasan’s plagiarism when hiring him, or if the network is reviewing Hasan’s work for additional problems before its release to the public.

An uber leftist with a history of smearing conservatives as racist, Hasan’s unofficial role as a Democrat Party mouthpiece was evident earlier this month during an interview with “Twitter Files” reporter Matt Taibbi. During the exchange, Hasan interrogated Taibbi over three minor errors in his “Twitter Files” reporting, such as the latter’s conflation of the Center for Internet Security with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

While none of the errors alter the core tenets of Taibbi’s reporting — which documents the federal government’s collusion with Big Tech companies to censor information it doesn’t approve of — Hasan has continued to ignore such pertinent facts and accused Taibbi of lying “under oath” during his congressional testimony last month.

Shawn Fleetwood is a Staff Writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He also serves as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood

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