Sex Steals: NY Press Sex Columnist Ousted After Debut

Today the alternative weekly New York Press announced the resignation of their new sex columnist, Claudia Lonow, after her debut column – and the cover story, no less – was found to have used some questions from old Dan Savage advice columns. The answers were her own, but, as Jezebel discovered, not questions like the one seeking advice about [paraphrasing] ‘what to do when you walk in on your girlfriend canoodling with her noticeably erect brother?’

See how we just paraphrased the actual question? Lonow really couldn’t be bothered, and basically pasted the question sent to Savage into her column, keeping the exact scenario with minor edits. As former Press dating columnist Judy McGuire observed, it’s probably not the best approach to steal from the nation’s most widely syndicated sex advice columnist.

In announcing the resignation, NY Press Editor in Chief David Blum identifies Lonow – who appeared on Knots Landing as a teen – as “a television writer based in Los Angeles who had not previously written for a newspaper… [and] was unaware that using questions from Savage's column was a breach of journalism ethics.” If Lonow was that desperate for sex questions, would it have been so difficult to just make up her own? And lost in all this is the more important question: what should the poor guy with the incestuous girlfriend should do?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on January 24, 2008 5:22 PM

Comments [rss]

mattcarman

Lonow should've known that there's only room in this town for one sub-par sex column by a known plagiarist. Unless Julia Allison offers to split her byline, of course.

Think2wice

Now will Claudia be all fucking fabulous and go broke buying expensive shoes and bar hopping with her three girlfriends?

ihateallbrokers

a see a movie deal coming her way!

Nick S

what a joke of a publication. i guess the next we'll hear of them is when they release another publicity-baiting "most hated" features. until then, it'll continue to be a laughable publication that is by curmudgeons, for curmudgeons.

HughGass

didn't know the NY Press still existed.

MissPinkKate

Whatever happened to that sex column the Village Voice did? The one written by the married yuppies about how they never had sex? Did they ever officially announce that was cancelled, or did they just quietly kill it?

babyhitler

Her fake commentary is actually pretty hilarious. It's much better than dan savage's real answer.

chuzzlewit

once recovered from the initial shock, one hopes the lad realizes he's not standing in the doorway of shock and revulsion- no, he's standing in the doorway of opportunity!