Ben Domenech Resigns In the past 24 hours, we learned of allegations that Ben Domenech plagiarized material that appeared under his byline in various publications prior to washingtonpost.com contracting with him to write a blog that launched Tuesday. An investigation into these allegations was ongoing, and in the interim, Domenech has resigned, effective immediately. When we hired Domenech, we were not aware of any allegations that he had plagiarized any of his past writings. In any cases where allegations such as these are made, we will continue to investigate those charges thoroughly in order to maintain our journalistic integrity. Plagiarism is perhaps the most serious offense that a writer can commit or be accused of. Washingtonpost.com will do everything in its power to verify that its news and opinion content is sourced completely and accurately at all times. We appreciate the speed and thoroughness with which our readers and media outlets surfaced these allegations. Despite the turn this has taken, we believe this event, among other things, testifies to the positive and powerful role that the Internet can play in the the practice of journalism. We also remain committed to representing a broad spectrum of ideas and ideologies in our Opinions area. Jim Brady Executive Editor, washingtonpost.com

Really? Plagiarism is a more serious offense than first degree murder? I never knew! Oh, and the so-called "media outlets?" That would be BLOGGERS, dammit. Anyway, this wouldn't have happened 5 years ago before the blogosphere became such a powerful political force. Way to go, bloggers!