Zachary Kamel

This isn’t about ego. It’s about basic professional respect. We all chase the scoop—but when someone beats us to it, we credit them. Simple as that. —30—

Here’s the thing: If you get scooped, you get scooped. Them's the breaks. The ethical move? Acknowledge prior reporting. At minimum, link to it. Better yet, include a line in the story crediting the media that scooped you.

Déjà vu. La Presse used the same excuse after lifting my 2023 scoop on housing minister France-Élaine Duranceau
meeting with an ex-business partner. t.co/ENl7vRXmHc

I reached out to the journalist @cambrondom.bsky.social
and his editor @jeanlouisfortin.bsky.social, politely asking for credit. I received no response from the editor, but the journalist said that since they were already investigating before I published, no credit was needed.

Across multiple articles, JdeM claims *their* investigation “revealed” Augustus’ crimes and his Airbnb empire. While there is a lot of original reporting, some of these stories add nothing new; they are just republishing my story in different words.

Nearly 3 months later, @journaldemontreal.com
runs a deep dive on the same guy. They expand on my reporting but take full credit for the scoop. No mention of my story, which was also published in @pivot.quebec, in French.

The story was wild. Augustus ripped off business partners, changed his name, and now claims $835K/month in Airbnb revenue using fake or poached licenses. Read it here: t.co/Zge0VwFB7w

In Nov, I broke a story for @ricochetmedia.bsky.social
on how 1,500+ illegal short-term rentals in Quebec exploit primary residence licenses. My main example? A man named Michael Alexander Nicolas Roman Augustus and his company, Posh Properties.

Tired of seeing major media rip off my stories without credit. As a freelancer writing for indie outlets, I expect better. Journalism should have higher ethical standards when it comes to crediting. A thread.

An evening filled with magic, sorrow and hope. A slice of Montréal that used to be. 🕊️