I know we probably all discuss plagiarism in our classes (and, on more occasions than we'd prefer, have to deal with students who have plagiarized papers and assignments). Nonetheless, I was a bit surprised by this 2007 tally of press plagiarism incidents. Print media outlets ranging from university newspapers to the New York Times issued retractions or fired staffers this year for plagiarizing stories, underscoring that it's not just lazy undergrads who pilfer others' written work and pass it off as their own.
Thanks to HuffPost for the link.
2 comments:
I must be on a hypocrisy kick today.
James Frey fabricates an entire book, and Oprah Winfrey castigates him on national TV.
Mitch Albom fabricates an AP story (the Mateen/MoPete watching MSU in the Final Four story - when neither they nor he were actually at the game), and Oprah Winfrey continually promotes his books for her viewers.
Excellent point. Though, from the way Mitch Albom responded to the discovery that he fabricated a story, it did not appear (to me at least) that he thought it was a particularly big deal -- certainly not at the same level as James Frey's transgressions.
And I should also say that I of course realize that plenty more people than just "lazy undergrads" plagiarize. The New Republic journalist Stephen Glass and presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin both suffered damaged reputations after being publicly accused of plagiarism. The latter was particularly disappointing for me, as she was my undergraduate commencement speaker! : (
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