The Atlantic Is Accused of Stealing a Freelancer’s Work, Denying Him Payment and Credit
Dean Sterling Jones says higher-ups at the Atlantic have ignored his emails requesting credit for his contributions to a March 2019 pieceLindsey Ellefson | January 10, 2021 @ 6:36 PM
Last Updated: January 11, 2021 @ 7:37 AM
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The Atlantic is being accused by freelancer Dean Sterling Jones of stealing his work and denying him adequate credit — and payment — for his writing and research.
In a Sunday post on his personal website titled, “The Atlantic Stole My Work,” Jones said editors at the publication have “refused” to give him byline credit in spite of the inclusion of “whole sentences and paragraphs from a freelance pitch” he sent then-reporter Natasha Bertrand. TheWrap has reviewed his draft and the Atlantic’s story and found 11 similarities, including instances of the exact same wording used by Jones. The article in question, “The Enigmatic Russian Paying Maria Butina’s Legal Bills,” was published on March 20, 2019, less than two weeks after he sent his pitch and draft to Bertrand. A link to his blog’s version of the story was added in an update to the article after its original publication, but he feels that is not sufficient credit for the writing, research and structure he provided.