Vidiot says: Here's "The story of how I caught the San Francisco Chronicle plagiarizing from the New Yorker last week. (There will most likely be a SF Weekly article about this soon.)"
I read the two stories, side-by-side, with increasing disbelief. But what really made my jaw drop was one particular graf. Again, from the New Yorker:
In 1995, as No. 1,000 approached, the frenzy was even greater. A local disk jockey went so far as to promise a case of Snapple to the family of the victim. That June, trying to stop the countdown fever, the California Highway Patrol halted its official count at 997. In early July, Eric Atkinson, age twenty-five, became the unofficial thousandth; he was seen jumping, but his body was never found.
From the Chronicle:
In the '90s, a suicide club was formed to predict the exact date that the 1,000th suicide would jump to his or her death. As the death toll approached, a local disc jockey promised a case of Snapple to the victim's family. In June 1995, trying to stem the countdown fever, the California Highway Patrol halted its official count at 997. In early July, Eric Atkinson, age 20, became the unofficial thousandth; he was seen jumping, but his body was never found.
