MSNBC anchor Mehdi Hasan accused of plagiarizing column on child spanking: 'Nearly word-for-word duplication'

MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan is accused of plagiarizing large portions of a past column he wrote that argued in favor of parents spanking their children. 

Investigative reporter Lee Fang published a report on his Substack Tuesday accusing the "Mehdi Hasan Show" host of "passing off others’ reporting as his own," pointing to several unattributed sentences from a 2000 Independent column he authored titled "No Harm In Smacking," that reads almost verbatim to a U.S. News and World Report article headlined "When to Spank," published two years earlier.

In one instance, Hasan argued in his column that "Anti-smacking crusaders have consistently relied upon inconclusive studies to make sweeping over-generalizations about the dangers of smacking."

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Apart from a few filler words, Hasan's language was nearly identical to that used by U.S. News and World Report co-authors Lynn Rosellini and Anna Mulrine, who in 1998, made the case that "Antispanking crusaders relied on inconclusive studies to make sweeping overgeneralizations about spanking's dangers."

In another example cited by Fang, Hasan lifted nearly an entire paragraph from the outlet and even used a direct quote cited in the U.S. News and World Report article without any kind of attribution.

Hasan: 

"In 1998, even the American Academy of Pediatrics toned down its blanket injunction against smacking, though it still takes a dim view of the practice. In fact, an AAP conference on corporal punishment in 1996 concluded that, in certain circumstances, smacking, or "spanking", may be an effective backup to other forms of discipline. 'There's no evidence that a child who is spanked moderately is going to grow up to be a criminal or antisocial or violent,' said S Kenneth Schonberg, a pediatrics professor co-chairing the meeting. In fact, the reverse may be true: a few studies suggest that, when used appropriately, spanking makes small children less likely to fight with others and more likely to obey their parents."

U.S. News and World Report: 

"This week, even the American Academy of Pediatrics is expected to tone down its blanket injunction against spanking, though it still takes a dim view of the practice and encourages parents to develop discipline alternatives. An AAP conference on corporal punishment in 1996 concluded that in certain circumstances, spanking may be an effective backup to other forms of discipline. "There's no evidence that a child who is spanked moderately is going to grow up to be a criminal or antisocial or violent," says S. Kenneth Schonberg, a pediatrics professor who co-chaired the conference. In fact, the reverse may be true: A few studies suggest that when used appropriately, spanking makes small children less likely to fight with others and more likely to obey their parents."

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In another instance, Fang's report shows Hasan brazenly citing research conducted by U.S. News and World Report on Sweden's 1979 ban on child spanking by parents while copying nearly every word of the paragraph, while again omitting any mention of the original authors or outlet they for which they worked.

Hasan:

"No study demonstrates that spanking a child leads to abuse - indeed, it may be the other way around. Parents who end up abusing their children may misuse all forms of discipline, including spanking. Contrary to Mr Saunders' assertions, Sweden hasn't borne out the spanking prohibitionists' fears, either. After Sweden outlawed spanking by parents in 1979, reports of serious child abuse actually increased by more than 400 per cent over 10 years, although the actual number of reports - 583 cases in 1994 - was still quite small. Sweden's experience does not prove that banning spanking creates more child abuse, but it does suggest that outlawing the practice may do little to lower the rate of child abuse and instead deprive parents of an effective and common disciplining procedure."

U.S. News and World Report: 

"But no study demonstrates that spanking a child leads to abuse--indeed, it may be the other way around. Parents who end up abusing their children may misuse all forms of discipline, including spanking. Sweden, often cited as a test case, hasn't borne out the spanking prohibitionists' fears, either. After Sweden outlawed spanking by parents in 1979, reports of serious child abuse actually increased by more than 400 percent over 10 years, though the actual number of reports--583 cases in 1994--was still quite small. Sweden's experience does not prove that banning spanking creates more child abuse, but it does suggest that outlawing the practice may do little to lower the rate of child abuse"

Fang called Hasan's Independent article "a clear violation of the simple ethics code outlined by the Society for Professional Journalists" and the journalistic standards of attribution.

Fang said he discovered the lifted passages after conducting a deep dive into Hasan's early career following a series of online spats between himself and the MSNBC host over the reporting of 'Twitter Files' journalist Matt Taibbi.

Taibbi sparred with Hasan in a contentious on-air interview last week, in which the MSNBC pundit went after Taibbi's role and journalistic credibility in exposing Twitter’s once-secret internal communications. After Hasan suggested Taibi lied under oath while testifying before Congress about the Twitter Files, Fang issued a response in Taibbi's defense, dismissing Hasan’s allegation as "wildly off the mark."

Hasan, in turn, attacked Fang's character on Twitter, accusing him of "sucking up to Musk" to get information on internal Twitter proceedings.

Fang attached a response in his Substack column on Tuesday before wading into his discoveries about Hasan's journalistic past.

"The cable news talker from the UK has built a career off such tactics, entertaining crowds with his attempts to mock opponents and turn every complicated policy and political issue into a petty slugfest of insults and partisanship," Fang wrote.

"It’s worth reflecting on Hasan’s rise and how his attacks on the journalists who published the Twitter Files are shaped by an intellectually lazy form of journalism," he added.

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"Many readers suspected that Hasan’s efforts to paint me as an unprincipled careerist were a case of projection -- of the ‘pot calling the kettle black,’ as the saying goes," Fang wrote, explaining that "These readers encouraged me to look into Hasan’s background."

Hasan did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.