Online sleuth reveals Murdoch tabloid used exact same wording as BeachGrit in Tyler Wright Abu Dhabi story

Plagiarism, great minds or monkeys strapped to keyboards?

An online sleuth has shocked the surf journalism world after he revealed that the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid news.com.au used almost identical wording from BeachGrit in a story about Tyler Wright heading to Abu Dhabi where she’ll bravely test that Emirate’s anti-gay laws. 

In a fitting slice of irony, your ol pal DR only wrote the story ‘cause he couldn’t find a damn thing of interest out there so since the tour was heading to the Middle East, why not swing back a few months to when Keala Kennelly, Tyler’s brother Mikey and Mikey’s wife Shenay lit up at the WSL for running a contest here gays can theoretically be executed for finding a little of that wild, but forbidden, love. 

The story was such a predictable gambit Tyler’s shaper Jon Pyzel, my third favourite in the game, a few strokes behind Johnny Cabianca and Matt Biolos DM’d me before I’d even written it predicting its arrival. 

“Slow year for surf news?” the transcendentally sexy Pyzel wrote in response to a story sourced from the BBC about sexist surfboard shapers. “Can’t wait to read the latest (regurgitated) piece about Tyler and Abu Dhabi.” Pyzel added an “Oh brother” emoji for effect. 

Anyway, I threw the thing together, fingers cramping from all the cutting and pasting, although I spent a few minutes on trying to describe Sharia Law. 

I eventually settled on,

The UAE’s penal code is ruled by divine revelations coded into what is called Sharia Law. Homosexuality is illegal with jail terms up to fourteen years. Fines and imprisonment exist for a little gay kissing in public.

When the story went live the BeachGrit commenter Gil Gunderson wrote, “Baited and clicked. Bravo, sir.” 

And he was right! 

But he didn’t know how right! 

The following morning, news.com.au ran a story called, Tyler Wright will compete in wave-pool event in Abu Dhabi where homosexuality is outlawed which contains the passage,

The UAE’s penal code is ruled by divine revelations coded into Sharia Law that makes homosexuality illegal, with fines and imprisonment for as little as gay kissing in public.

You see? A little similarity there? 

Or am I tripping on the delicious mushroom chocolate I imported from Byron Bay?

Three choices: plagiarism, great minds or me and the unnamed news stringer are just a couple of dumb ol monkeys with keyboards strapped to our chest and we somehow hit the same pattern of keys. 

I lean toward the third.