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To our readers

On Thursday, it was brought to our attention that a number of sections of this week’s dining review appear to have been copied from a 2011 L.A. Weekly restaurant review. After further research, we discovered that other Times-Dispatch restaurant reviews by freelance writer Elliott Shaffner, our dining critic since the start of 2016, contain material that apparently was not original.

Because of this troubling development, we have removed all of Shaffner’s reviews from our website, and she will no longer write for us. She has acknowledged that she used work that wasn’t her own, and she has apologized.

Ex-Richmond Times-Dispatch restaurant critic Elliott Shaffner responds: 'I'm mortified' Editor's note: Elliott Shaffner, who was terminated as the Richmond Times-Dispatch's restaurant critic on Thursday after we learned that she h…

The Times-Dispatch, like all reputable news organizations, enjoys a long-standing relationship of trust with our readers. We are nothing without work that is fair, accurate and honest. In this case, we have unknowingly run material that was not original. This violation of trust by one of our freelance writers is unfair to our readers, and it’s unfair to our news colleagues who pride themselves on their reputations as trusted journalists.

We apologize for this ethical breach.