Ex-BuzzFeed Editor Goes to National Review After Plagiarism Scandal

Benny Johnson, the BuzzFeed editor recently fired for extensive plagiarism, has landed on his feet: he has just accepted a job at conservative magazine National Review.

Editor-in-Chief Rich Lowry confirmed to Politico that Johnson would be joining their team as its social media director starting this week — despite the fact that Johnson plagiarized from them, too. “Benny made a terrible mistake,” Lowry admitted. “But he has owned up to it and learned from it. He’s a talented journalist, with obviously a lot to contribute. He knows he’s joining a storied institution at NR, and we look forward to his helping us carry on our mission across all platforms.”

Mike Allen mused that National Review needed someone with “a youthful digital fluency,” paired with “red-state instincts,” to bring the 59-year-old magazine into the digital era, particularly to make it popular with the youths.

But yeah, this guy’s probably happy to have a job:

Honored to be joining the incredible team at @NRO.

— Benny (@bennyjohnson) September 6, 2014

[h/t TPM]
[Image via National Review]

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