Ryan refused to talk with Hawaii Reporter about the allegations, which first appeared in a Jan. 2, 2006, article by Michael Snow in Wikipedia.org, a popular encyclopedia and community newspaper on the Internet. Ryan, whose calls to his office at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin are routed to his cell phone, referred all discussion of the matter to his editor, Frank Bridgewater. Bridgewater told Hawaii Reporter that he could not comment on the situation other than to reassure readers that the Honolulu Star-Bulletin had moved quickly after being contacted by Wikipedia to correct the stories by Ryan with editors’ notes -- something Wikipedia acknowledges in the Jan. 2, 2006, story. Bridgewater agreed to follow up on national stories pointed out to him by Hawaii Reporter on TV.com and Yahoo News, which appeared to match almost exactly what Ryan had reported in Honolulu Star-Bulletin stories.

Typically reporters are fired for such offenses, considered extremely serious in the journalism profession, according to the ethics chairman for the Society of Professional Journalists and journalism professors interviewed for this story. Media sources familiar with the case, say Ryan was suspended for a month for the alleged plagiarism, but Bridgewater would not comment further on the matter, telling Hawaii Reporter, as he had previously told Wikipedia, that he considers Ryan’s case, "a confidential personnel matter."

Gary Hill, the National Ethics Committee chairman for the Society of Professional Journalists, says although he does not know the details of the allegations against Ryan, that in the journalism profession, employers deal with plagiarism most harshly because "in general, this (plagiarism) is among the worst offenses for journalists."

He says in most high profile cases of plagiarism in recent years -- including Jason Blair at the New York Times, Jack Kelly at USA Today, and Mike Barnicle of the Boston Globe -- the reporters were fired.

The allegations come on the heels of a series of ads in which the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and Bridgewater, claim to represent the only news organization in the state in which "The Truth" is found.

"Sad, but it seems the only Truth that will be heard, will be heard from us," says Bridgewater in a Nov. 22, 2005, full-page advertisement -- one of a series in which the Honolulu Star-Bulletin attempts to put down Hawaii’s other news outlets, including The Honolulu Advertiser. Ryan is one of seven Honolulu Star-Bulletin journalists profiled individually -- and prominently -- in a series of full-page advertisements entitled "The Truth."

The question about Ryan’s reports began on Wikipedia, when Snow says portions of a news report from its Web site appeared without attribution in a Dec. 22, 2005, Honolulu Star-Bulletin review by Ryan, covering a History Channel documentary entitled "Secrets of the Black Box: Aloha Flight 243." Snow and editors at the news organization took their investigation of Ryan further, questioning whether the 12-year veteran from Hawaii’s second largest daily, had plagiarized stories from the Sacramento Bee and National Public Radio, among other news organizations.

Snow writes in his Jan. 2, 2006, column about the incident: "Sleuthing Wikipedia editors have found several cases of apparent plagiarism over the past two years by Tim Ryan, a reporter for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin'. It began with the discovery of an article last month containing language that closely matched a Wikipedia article, and more investigation found earlier articles that seemed to borrow from additional sources without attribution."

See the report here: http://tinyurl.com/74na7

The Wikipedia article specifically notes a Honolulu Star-Bulletin June 7, 2005, article on the Toyota Highlander hybrid SUV, which Snow says contained portions of an April 15, 2005, article in the Sacramento Bee. Snow also notes a Dec. 17, 2004, article about Matt Haimovitz, in which Snow says "nearly all of the quotes from Haimovitz matched up verbatim with an interview conducted by Steve Inskeep in 2003 on All Things Considered." The most "serious case" of purported plagiarism Wikipedia editors say they found is in the Haimovitz story, in which Ryan "appears to lift material from the NPR story and pass them off as quotes from a personal interview he conducted. That would seem particularly wrong, and hard to explain."

Hawaii Reporter’s independent research of the allegations, show Ryan may have taken copy verbatim from such news sites as Yahoo News and TV.com for in his entertainment stories published in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Here are two examples:

YAHOO News wrote:

"From an early age, Paul Sorvino wanted to pursue a career in show business. At age 16, he trained to be a dance instructor at an Arthur Murray studio but was fired for being underage and later sang at charity events and on the Catskills circuit as "The Romantic Voice of Val Sorvino" in his early 20s. Not long after, this chunky, polished, stage-trained character actor landed his first chorus job as a gypsy in the short-lived Broadway musical "Bajour".

As theater work was intermittent, Sorvino took a job as an advertising copywriter to support himself and his family, eventually rising to vice president of the agency.

The lure of the greasepaint, however, was too strong and Sorvino eventually resumed acting, first in commercials and then in movies. He made his film debut in the riotous comedy "Where's Poppa?" (1970)."

See http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800020837/bio

RYAN, in the HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN, wrote in 2003:

"At an early age, Sorvino knew he wanted to pursue a career in show business. At 16 he trained to be a dance instructor at an Arthur Murray studio but was fired for being underage. He later sang at charity events and on the Catskills circuit as "The Romantic Voice of Val Sorvino" in his early 20s.

Not long after he landed his first chorus job as a gypsy in the short-lived Broadway musical "Bajour." Sorvino then took a job as an advertising copywriter to support himself and his family, rising to vice president of the agency.

But the lure of acting was too strong, and Sorvino eventually resumed acting, first in commercials and then in movies. He made his film debut in the 1970 comedy "Where's Poppa?"

http://starbulletin.com/2003/11/05/features/story5.html

In another 2001 story on Chris Isaak, TV.com wrote:

"Chris, the youngest of three brothers, grew up in a working class neighborhood in Stockton, California. From an early age, he was a fan of a wide variety of music. After attending the University of the Pacific, he spent a year in Japan, studying, working part-time at a movie studio, and doing a little amateur boxing on the side. He didn't really consider a career in music until he was 20 and living in Tokyo. Inspired by Elvis Presley's Sun Sessions, Chris decided to try his hand at singing.

He started out solo, working the club circuit in San Francisco, and soon formed an early version of his band Silvertone. The group was spotted by a producer (Erik Jacobsen,) and offered a deal by Warner Brothers. Chris' first two records, Silvertone and Chris Isaak, earned critical acclaim and made fans of Madonna, John Fogerty, and Rickie Lee Jones, among other celebrities.

Simultaneously, Chris was making waves outside of the music industry. He appeared in fashion spreads in magazines such as Elle and Esquire, and director Jonathan Demme cast him as "The Killer Clown" in this 1988 film, Married to the Mob. Chris also appeared in Let's Get Lost, Bruce Weber's 1988 documentary about jazz trumpeter / vocalist Chet Baker.

In 1989, Chris scored his breakout single "Wicked Game." The song, a ballad that was featured on the double platinum album Heart Shaped World, was an international smash and was supported by a steamy video that featured Chris in a dreamy embrace with supermodel Helena Christensen."

http://www.tv.com/chris-isaak/person/1074/biography.html

Ryan, in the HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN in 2001, wrote:

"Isaak, the youngest of three brothers, says he was a music fan from a very early age. After attending the University of the Pacific, he spent a year in Japan, studying, working part time at a movie studio and doing some amateur boxing. He didn't really consider a career in music until he was 20 and living in Tokyo. Inspired by Elvis Presley's Sun sessions, Isaak decided to try his hand at singing.

He started out solo, working the club circuit in San Francisco, and soon formed an early version of his band Silvertone. The group was spotted by a producer and offered a deal by Warner Bros. Isaak's first two records, "Silvertone" and "Chris Isaak," earned critical acclaim and made fans of Madonna, John Fogerty and Rickie Lee Jones, among other celebrities.

Simultaneously, he appeared in fashion spreads in magazines such as Elle and Esquire, and director Jonathan Demme cast him as "The Killer Clown" in his 1988 film, "Married to the Mob." Isaac also appeared in "Let's Get Lost," Bruce Weber's 1988 documentary about jazz trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker.

In 1989, Isaak scored his breakout single "Wicked Game." The song, a ballad that was featured on the double-platinum album "Heart Shaped World," was an international smash and was supported by a steamy video that featured Isaak in a dreamy embrace with supermodel Helena Christensen."

http://starbulletin.com/2001/04/30/features/story1.html

According to Ryan’s biography, besides writing for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, he is the Hawaii correspondent for People, US Magazine, and Daily Variety, and a contributing columnist for travel magazines including Islands, Frommer's Budget Travel, and Sunset. Raised in Hollywood, Ryan is the son of Tim Ryan Sr., a screenwriter and actor, who worked for Monogram Studios on such television series as Charlie Chan and Bowery Boys. Ryan Jr. began writing for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 1984.

In an article published on Dec. 28, 2005 -- after Wikipedia contacted the Honolulu Star-Bulletin about Ryan’s stories -- Ryan in his weekly column "Reel News" seems to be defending himself from such allegations, which had not yet become public in Hawaii.

"Entertainment reporting is as odd as the business itself. A story may be right, but the reporter still receives the wrath of producers, publicists and others who expect all information to come from them. To write "Reel News," I usually can't name any sources because there could be serious repercussions to them…. All who have helped me write this column -- and you do know who you are -- I thank you for your contributions and trust," Ryan wrote.

Reach Malia Zimmerman, editor and president of Hawaii Reporter, via email at mailto:Malia@hawaiireporter.com

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