TheLiberal.ie goes offline amid plagiarism row

A news website at the centre of plagiarism accusations went offline yesterday, less than 48 hours after its owner said the outlet was ‘here to stay’.

TheLiberal.ie went offline on the same day it was revealed that its owner, Leo Sherlock, is being taken to court amid allegations that his site plagarised the work of other journalists.

A tweet from The Liberal said the site was undergoing “a scheduled necessary technical update” and would be back online when the update was completed.

The Times yesterday revealed that TheLiberal.ie has been issued with a notice of claim by CCC Nuacht, a court reporting agency.

It is alleged that The Liberal published four articles from June 2015 to November 2016 based on court cases covered by CCC Nuacht, which were carried by national outlets, including the Irish Examiner, that have agreements in place to use the agency’s work.

TheLiberal.ie last week drew online criticism over a report in which it alleged that a number of youths were involved in a “riot” in Dublin city centre over Christmas. Mr Sherlock responded to the criticism, and disputed suggestions that the article was racially motivated.

“I will face down these slanderous online keyboard cowards in the appropriate ways in due course, but for now, know one thing: The Liberal is here to stay,” Mr Sherlock wrote two days before the site went offline.

The site has, in the past, faced frequent allegations of plagiarism from a number of journalists.

Mr Sherlock is a conservative commentator who has appeared on both RTÉ and TV3 to discuss his support for US president-elect Donald Trump.

The broadcasters’ decision to host Mr Sherlock has drawn criticism from National Union of Journalists General Secretary Seamus Dooley, who has said that the NUJ has sent letters to Mr Sherlock on behalf of its members allegedly plagiarised by The Liberal and has yet to receive a reply.

Attempts to contact Mr Sherlock were unsuccessful.