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For any news outlet, the only fear experienced by every editor beyond libel is plagiarism. Even the best news outlets -- whether they be broadcast, print or online -- have been a victim of such content theft one time or another, and now two popular movie sites are licking their wounds from the latest scandal.

Paul Fischer, who seemed to find something positive in even the worst of films, is no longer writing for Dark Horizons and Moviehole after an investigation by Chris Parry of the Vancouver Sun revealed that Fischer may have borrowed heavily from film festival guides to use in his reviews.

"We've seen some people ... take the press notes and just print them as part of their work," said Brooks Addicott, associate director of media relations at the Sundance Institute. That group, which hosts the Sundance Film Festival, was an alleged victim of Fischer's plagiarism, with Parry claiming much of the lifted work coming from their film festival guide.

"Generally, online bloggers tend to do that because they feel like those are the official descriptions and they can go with them," Addicott said. "We'd obviously prefer they didn't. If you're going to review a film, you should probably see it and come up with your own take on it."

Both Moviehole and Dark Horizons have since removed Fischer's content from their respective sites. But not without some hesitation at first.

When Parry first contacted Garth Franklin, who founded Dark Horizons in 1997, the Australian editor asked for proof. When Parry provided it, showing comparisons between Fischer reviews and Sundance program materials for films like "Animal Kingdom," "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" and "3 Backyards," Franklin simply asked where the proof was, which Parry then provided.

"I take charges of plagiarism very seriously, and thank you for bringing this to my attention," Franklin told Parry in a statement. "All Paul's festival reviews have been removed from the site. After a long chat and weighing options, Fischer has decided to no longer continue press junketing and I will abide by his wishes."

Moviehole editor Clint Morris jumped in quickly and said he was already removing Fischer's work, and was no longer welcoming him as part of the Moviehole staff.

Unfortunately, it appeared that neither outlet has commented about the situation on their respective sites. Links to Fischer's reviews are now simply broken with no explanation as to their removal.

While plagiarism is not something that can be ignored, Parry said he hopes Fischer won't look at these allegations as an end to his career.

"Frankly, on a personal level, I would have preferred Fischer to admit what he did, explain his actions, and promise to correct them rather than fall on his sword," Parry said. "I've had to deal with cases of plagiarism at a few outlets that I've run previously, and, on each occasion, that course of action was the end result. The offenders in both cases managed to rehab their reputations and do some great work after the fact. That option remains open to Fischer."