I'm going to step in here again, briefly.

First of all, what Lianne Spiderbaby did was completely unacceptable, and yes, she would be fired without much discussion at my newspaper or any other newspaper or periodical in the nation.  The journalistic landscape is littered with ex-reporters who plagiarized or worse.

 Lianne knows what she did was wrong, and though people may question how she decided to handle it, she has admitted what she did was unacceptable and she has apologized.

In most such cases of plagiarism, it is treated by all involved in a sober and businesslike manner. Like professionals.  We have fired people at my newspaper and writers have lost jobs at other newspapers and in all cases, despite the severity of the misdeeds and the anger among the staff, the writers were still afforded a modicum of dignity. Again, even amid the lawyers and the protests, they were treated like professionals in their leaving.

In this case, a website she wrote for has removed her stories. The magazines she wrote for have begun issuing statements. More will be said and more will be written. Which is as it should be.

But what isn't acceptable, nor professional, is bringing up her appearance (at Latarnia someone posted a photo of her in a swimsuit; more photos might have been on the way until Mirek, the administrator there, called a halt to it).

And while the fact she is dating Quentin Tarentino is fascinating (and duh, I didn't even know that until all this broke this week), it really has nothing to do with her actions beyond a bit of context and tabloid sizzle.  She is a grown woman and she did what she did. She deserves to at least be allowed to accept the blame on her own.

Also, for those still wondering, nothing we have seen nor read affects the Rondo won by Fright Bytes, a multi-media site she hosted with her brother.  Had she been voted Best Writer, then that would be different. But the Rondo win for their site stands unless evidence emerges that their freeform talk show somehow was tainted. It does not appear it was.  If folks want to give the Rondo win a mental asterisk, that is their privilege.

This is an extremely sad thing. I've been involved in plagiarism cases in the past, some far more serious than this, and they are always career-shaking, if not ending, incidents. The emotions are real, the pain is real, the consequences are real. And that should be enough.

We can't speak for other websites, but the Classic Horror Film Board will not allow undue exultations at her fate, postings questioning her appearance, how she dresses or over-the-top attacks.  What she did was totally and completely unacceptable. The editors and writers she violated should be rightfully angry. There are no excuses.

But there are limits to Internet glee and gloating. Someone who has transgressed deserves to be criticized, even shunned, but not attacked for who she is, how she looks or even who she loves.  Online bullying comes in many forms, and the CHFB won't allow pile-on attacks here.  Especially by anonymous members who hide their identities.

Lianne Spiderbaby screwed up bigtime. All you have to do is look at the evidence. But she deserves what everybody deserves, the chance to redeem herself someday and even more, just plain human dignity.

For those who disagree, there are other places to display your rage. Here at the CHFB, we prefer a professional discussion.  Please think about this as we go forward.

And thanks for listening.

david colton
administrator
Classic Horror Film Board

Last Edited By: taraco Jul 15 13 7:41 PM. Edited 2 times.