It said Jacoby, in his July 3 column on the fate of Declaration of Independence signers, should have written that the piece was based on accounts that have appeared for years in other publications, in books, and on the Web.
Historians differ on whether so many signers paid so harsh a price.
It kills me to see my reputation wounded for something so small. Jacoby, distributed by the New York Times News Service, thinks one possible reason for the severity of the punishment is that Gilman is somewhat new and Globe Editorial Page Editor Renee Loth is very new to their respective jobs. Previously, Patricia Smith and Mike Barnicle were forced to resign over questions of fabrications in their columns. Gilman and Loth were unavailable for comment. I don't think the punishment is out of line at all.