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An "Exclusive" Stolen From Huff

Sometimes, there is misconception of just who bloggers are, just what it is that they do, and just how important their "work" is to them. There are bloggers who will spend 30 seconds spitting out a post, others that will spend hours and even days researching a topic in order to bring their readers the most information possible. But, no matter what style they choose, one thing is very clear- they take pride in their work, and expect to be given common courtesy from others.

Part of that courtesy included giving credit for published work. If a blogger spends days searching out, and researching a case- they deserve to be recognised for that. There seems to be this big issue with the MSM and bloggers, because after all- most of us "bloggers" are not journalist. We didn't go to some school to learn the finer points of reporting on a story, and we don't depend upon breaking news for a living. Personally, I don't think that makes what we do any less important, but not everyone sees it that way.

And while it's bad enough that some news media sources feel it's okay to blow us off, what really is even worse is when another writer believes it's okay not to just dismiss us, but to completely steal our work.

Those of you who have visited here before know about Steve Huff, or "the grandaddy of
crime blogging" as he's been called in the past. Huff is one of those bloggers that will work through the night on a story in order to go the extra mile and provide more than just the latest information on a case. A quick look at any of his posts and you know that spending hours searching online for hard to find information, things that most people would never be able to track down isn't an uncommon occurrence for him. He's good at what he does, and most likely, if it's a big crime in the news, he's got the best background information available on it. Which most likely gets under the skin of some other writers. The kind without blogs, and without hundred of regular visitors who willingly spend time attempting to find that next hot lead for their favorite crime blogger. I can only imagine that it is this jealousy that caused someone to cross the line of common courtesy and steal Steve's work.

One of Steve's most recent stories involved John "Woody" Woodring, the abusive nut case that hunted his estranged wife down in a women's shelter and murdered her. You can find Steve's enties at the following links.

What made this case so much more interesting wasn't just the fact that Woodring posted an online plea to his wife in hopes that she would return to him. Or that he had a previous record of beating women. It wasn't even so much the fact that he left little traces of himself all over the internet. What really made this case interesting was that "Woody" seemed to have a desire to be a crime writer, and well- you'll really have to check out Steve's posts in order to get the entire story.

Now, I refuse to link it, because why on earth should I give them the honor of that? But I find it most disturbing that a "major" website owned by a "major" network would not only have someone employed with them that would steal another writers work- but that the editors would actually allow this stolen "exclusive" to make it onto their site. Makes you wonder about what sort of people make up the managing fraction of the Crime Library.


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