#publisher alternate (BUTTON) Close Skip to main content [ ] * switch to the International edition * switch to the UK edition * switch to the US edition * switch to the Australia edition current edition: International edition The Guardian - Back to home Support The Guardian Subscribe Find a job Jobs Sign in * Comment activity * Edit profile * Email preferences * Change password * Sign out (BUTTON) My account Search [ ] * News * Opinion * Sport * Culture * Lifestyle Show More * (BUTTON) News + World news + UK news + Science + Cities + Global development + Football + Tech + Business + Environment + Obituaries * (BUTTON) Opinion + The Guardian view + Columnists + Cartoons + Opinion videos + Letters * (BUTTON) Sport + Football + Rugby union + Cricket + Tennis + Cycling + F1 + Golf + US sports * (BUTTON) Culture + Books + Music + TV & radio + Art & design + Film + Games + Classical + Stage * (BUTTON) Lifestyle + Fashion + Food + Recipes + Love & sex + Health & fitness + Home & garden + Women + Family + Travel + Money ____________________ What term do you want to search? (BUTTON) Search with google * Become a supporter * Subscribe * Sign in/up * (BUTTON) My account + Comment activity + Edit profile + Email preferences + Change password + Sign out * (BUTTON) International edition + switch to the UK edition + switch to the US edition + switch to the Australia edition * Jobs * Dating * Holidays * The Guardian app * Video * Podcasts * Pictures * Newsletters * Today's paper * The Observer * Digital archive * Crosswords * Facebook * Twitter * Jobs * Dating * Holidays * UK * UK politics * Education * Media * Society * Law * Scotland * Wales * Northern Ireland (BUTTON) More Johann Hari Orwell prize accuses Johann Hari of plagiarism Award's council says winning article contained unattributed material and £2,000 prize money has not yet been returned Josh Halliday Tue 27 Sep 2011 15.41 BST First published on Tue 27 Sep 2011 15.41 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * (BUTTON) View more sharing options * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Pinterest * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Share on Messenger * (BUTTON) Close This article is 6 years old Johann Hari [ ] The Orwell prize council says Johann Hari has not yet returned the £2,000 prize money. Photograph: Jason Alvey The Orwell prize committee has accused Independent columnist Johann Hari of plagiarism over an article that won him the prestigious award in 2008. Hari earlier this month said he stood by the Orwell prize-winning articles in a lengthy apology published by the Independent, but handed back the award on 14 September "as an act of contrition for errors I made elsewhere". However, the high-profile columnist has not returned the £2,000 prize money from the 2008 award, the Orwell prize council said on Tuesday. "The council concluded that the article contained inaccuracies and conflated different parts of someone else's story (specifically, a report in Der Spiegel)," the Orwell prize council said in a statement. "The council ruled that the substantial use of unattributed and unacknowledged material did not meet the standards expected of Orwell prize-winning journalism." Hari handed back the Orwell prize after an internal investigation by the Independent founder and former editor Andreas Whittam Smith. He said in his apology a fortnight ago: "Even though I stand by the articles which won the George Orwell prize, I am returning it as an act of contrition for the errors I made elsewhere, in my interviews." Hari apologised for plagiarising the work of others to improve interviews and for editing the Wikipedia entries of people he had clashed with, using the pseudonym David Rose, "in ways that were juvenile or malicious". He admitted calling "one of them antisemitic and homophobic, and the other a drunk". He is taking unpaid leave of absence from the paper until 2012 and is to undertake a journalism training course. The Orwell prize council said it decided to revoke Hari's award in July, but declined to make the decision public because the Independent's investigation was ongoing. The Independent had "prohibited" Hari from responding to claims about his work during the investigation, the council added. "The council is delighted to be able to put this difficult episode behind it finally, and get on with the important business of running the prizes and promoting the values of George Orwell into the future," said Bill Hamilton, the acting chair of the council of the Orwell prize. Annalena McAfee, Albert Scardino and Sir John Tusa – the judges from 2008 – have decided not to re-award Hari's prize. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediatheguardian.com or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook Topics * Johann Hari * The Independent * Newspapers & magazines * National newspapers * Newspapers * news * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Pinterest * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Share on Messenger * Reuse this content more on this story * Independent editor backs plan for bad journalists to be 'struck off' Chris Blackhurst supports proposal to license journalists and says paper's Johann Hari should hand back Orwell prize money. By Dan Sabbagh Published: 28 Sep 2011 Independent editor backs plan for bad journalists to be 'struck off' * Call for journalists guilty of gross malpractice to be 'struck off' Published: 27 Sep 2011 Call for journalists guilty of gross malpractice to be 'struck off' * + Phone hacking fallout: Labour plans tighter media regulation Published: 27 Sep 2011 Phone hacking fallout: Labour plans tighter media regulation + xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> Ivan Lewis may have been misunderstood, but he is still wrong Dan Sabbagh Published: 27 Sep 2011 Published: 27 Sep 2011 Ivan Lewis may have been misunderstood, but he is still wrong + xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> Licensed journalists in Britain? Surely Labour is joking... Roy Greenslade Published: 27 Sep 2011 Published: 27 Sep 2011 Licensed journalists in Britain? 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