Editors Says Fired for Opposing Plagiarism

FLINT, Mich. (CN) - A longtime newspaper editor claims the Tri-County Times fired her for opposing the new management's "flat-out plagiarism."

Cheryl Dennison sued the Tri-County Times, its corporate parent Rockman Communications, and Craig Rockman and Rick Rockman Jr., in Genesee County Court.

Dennison says in her complaint that things were fine under the newspaper's previous owner, Richard Rockman Sr., under whom she worked for 12 years and was promoted to editor.

But he died in early 2011 and the newspaper passed to his sons, the two individual defendants. Dennison claims that she "opposed and also informed her immediate supervisor and co-owner of defendant Tri-County, Craig Rockman, that the articles being published in defendant Tri-County violated copyright laws, as well as the Journalism Code of Ethics, The Associated Press style, and was just flat-out plagiarism."

For her pains, Dennison says, she was fired.

She seeks more than $100,000 for age discrimination and other claims.

She is represented by Tom Pabst.

The Tri-County Times, founded by Rockman Communications in 1994, is published on Wednesday and Sunday and has a circulation of about 14,000 on Wednesdays, and about 25,000 on Sundays.

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