THE DARK SIDE
OF PLAGIARISM

current count: 235 confirmed thefts
total wordage: over a hundred thousand words--and counting!

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Has the magazine lost all credibility?

It's lost a good amount of it, but it's important to remember that a lot of fine and honorable writers contributed to its pages, and a lot of good and interesting material was published. Which is one of the reasons why this abusive history of plagiarism is so tragic. It's hurt a lot of innocent people; not just the writers whose work was stolen, but the good writers who contributed to the pages of THE DARK SIDE.

The evidence is overwhelming and damning. There is no way that Allan Bryce can admit to the truth. Isn't that obvious?

It would take a very big man to admit to the truth of what's been happening at THE DARK SIDE and other Bryce-edited publications. But the only way Bryce can regain any credibility for THE DARK SIDE and his other magazines and for himself is to be upfront as to what happened and to satisfy the requests of those who were plagiarized in his magazines. His explanations, contradictory and combative, are just further sinking THE DARK SIDE into a pit it will never be able to get out of.

Do you know who Gordon Booker is?

It's not hard to figure out who is the person behind the Booker alias. Everywhere Allan Bryce goes, there's a "Gordon Booker" around.

Can you authoritatively state that Allan Bryce is directly responsible for the plagiarizing?

Unless there's an admission from Bryce, we can only have very informed speculation that is about as close to certainty as one can get. What we can authoritatively state is that plagiarism has been rampant in a number of publications Bryce has been associated with as editor and that Bryce has signed his name to reviews and interviews that he knew were not from his hand.  In the latter situation he was clearly deceiving his readership by making it appear that he was the writer of informed and frequently lengthy reviews, when he was not.

Has Allan Bryce been forthright in his e-mail contact with the aggrieved writers?

His first few e-mails were contradictory and certainly not forthright. The pattern was similar: Mild surprise, a statement that the mysterious individual responsible had been sacked, an offer of work for the magazine, a monetary recompense for the stolen reviews, and a prodding suggestion to forget about the "mistake" and move on--"onwards and upwards," in his words. (We would later find out that this pattern that dated back to at least 2000 when Vince Bonagaliva of the Media Unleashed website discovered that his material had been used without permission by THE DARK SIDE.) At first the payment was 100 pounds, but when more reviews were uncovered that payment quickly deflated to 10 pounds per review. After being asked to divulge the contributions sent in by the plagiarizing writer so that a full and accurate list of plagiarized material could be arrived at, Bryce refused all communication from the online writers his publication ripped off.

Will we ever get the complete truth?

Probably not. Bryce has been involved as an editor in numerous publications, including many whose focus is soft-porn. These British-based magazines and the possible original sources of reviews, articles and interviews are nearly impossible to acquire nowadays. The investigative team we have is not that large or well-funded, so we have to focus on horror genre material that is more accessible. But we are always open to discovering more and haven't closed the book on any of Bryce's publications.

Of the three "demands" you have stated on the main page, which is most important?

Other aggrieved writers can differ, but I think it is essential that Alan Bryce list in the pages of THE DARK SIDE and DVD WORLD the original authors of the stolen material, along with the title of their review, article or interview.  This won't cost Bryce a penny (or a pence) but it is the honorable thing to do. It is the first and major step in the "healing process," both for the aggrieved writers and for Bryce's publications, and would go a long way to confirm that Bryce is serious about resolving this matter and respecting the writers his publications stole from--and respecting the genre he claims he so loves.

What discoveries do you still have to make with THE DARK SIDE?

We have more than 60 issues to go, so who knows what we will find! We've already documented that DS' "Horror Guide" section contains plagiarized material from the internet, but we are positive that it also contains plagiarized material from the print medium.  At this point we've not been able to crack this nut and, frankly, haven't had time to explore the print medium thoroughly, but we will. It's only a matter of time. Incidentally, Bryce has been promising to turn this Horror Guide into a book, so beware. We will also be carefully looking at interviews published in THE DARK SIDE, as there already are examples of audience Q & A sessions at conventions being promoted in THE DARK SIDE as one-on-one interviews with the subject and the interviewer.

What can we do to help?

Spread the word about what's been occurring at THE DARK SIDE and DVD WORLD so that readers and writers can be alerted.  It's possible that certain writers have known about theft of their material but were unable to voice their complaints or find a sympathetic ear. Already, because of the publicity this plagiarism has received, a few writers have approached us with vital information.  Also, on a marketplace level, it's up to readers and advertisers whether they in good conscience want to support these publications with their money until the matter is resolved. Thus far, the matter is not resolved, and Allan Bryce refuses to respond to simple questions that could clear up the matter once and for all.  It also would be welcome for the current writers for Bryce's publications to evaluate their support through their work, considering that their writing brethren have been royally screwed by Bryce's publications and are continually being screwed.  The horror film fan community is a small one, and the question for these writers becomes: Do you really want to build your reputation in the pages of THE DARK SIDE and DVD WORLD anymore?

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