In which I become Jeff Schapiro’s ghostwriter

In the many years during which I’ve poked, prodded, pinched and pounded on Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Jeff Schapiro, one thing has always remained constant: I regularly read his work.

Imagine my surprise on reading his most recent Sunday column and finding it’s themes, flow and research seemed very familiar. Why of course, this column is Jeff’s way of saying he reads me to, and more specifically, the post I wrote here on Virginia’s unique stake in the debt ceiling discussions currently underway in DC.

I’d noticed that Jeff’s twitter feed on July 1st linked to my post (as it appeared here on Bearing Drift) but thought no more about it.

Maybe I should have.

Still, I don’t feel bad. This is an interesting story with a very strong Virginia angle. It deserves more consideration and reporting. Jeff found it interesting and decided to give it coverage, too. Good for him.

But shame on you, Jeff, for not giving credit where it’s due for the story idea…and research, and other angles you included in your column.

In the old blogging days, reporters and columnists routinely cribbed from bloggers without fearing that anyone would call them on it. Those days are long gone.

So I do hope that Jeff does the right thing and give me a bit of credit for being his ghost on this column. Perhaps he will be able to ponder the best way to do that during his unpaid furlough days from Media General.

Come to think of it, maybe I’ll have to make sure he does by making it a regular feature of every “Score” radio show, too (which can be heard on these broadcast stations and online talk networks).

(cross-posted at Score Radio Network)

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About the author

Norman Leahy

Norm Leahy has written about Virginia and national politics online since 2002, beginning with One Man's Trash (OMT), and continuing through Bacon's Rebellion (both the blog and the e-zine), Sic Semper Tyrannis, NBC12's Decision Virginia, Richmond.com and Tertium Quids. He is the chief blogger at "The Score" and a producer of "The Score" radio show as well as being a Washington Examiner contributor.