19 Mar 2016

Crossword-setting plagiarism row

From This Way Up, 12:12 pm on 19 March 2016

A plagiarism scandal is rocking the normally cerebral and sedate world of the crossword puzzle.

There are claims that a crossword-setting business called Universal Uclick, responsible for thousands of crosswords syndicated around the world, has ripped off and copied other people's work.

An example showing some crossword similarities

An example showing some crossword similarities Photo: FiveThirtyEight.com (reproduced with permission Of Oliver Roeder)

The crosswords in question appeared online and in some of the world's biggest newspaper titles, including USA Today and the Los Angeles Times, and the allegations have led to the editor at the centre of the controversy stepping down from his job this week, while the claims are investigated.

Simon Morton talks to journalist Oliver Roeder of FiveThirtyEight.com, who uncovered the story: