A major crossword puzzle editor may be plagiarizing from The New York Times

Crossword puzzle
(Image credit: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images)

Crossword editor Timothy Parker helms the USA Today puzzle as well as Universal Crossword, a widely syndicated puzzle. In 65 instances, he replicated puzzle themes and answers from The New York Times' crossword, a new FiveThirtyEight report finds.

FiveThirtyEight looked at a database assembled by a crossword editor and a software engineer. In addition to appearing to copy distinct elements from other puzzles, Parker published crosswords under pseudonymous bylines in both series he edits.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.