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Many papers/blogs run same word-for-word meat consumption "letter to the editor"

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Central-KY-Kid, Apr 24, 2016.

  1. Central-KY-Kid

    Central-KY-Kid Well-Known Member

    Google

    Not sure where the original text originated from, but many newspapers and websites ran the same "letter to the editor" which appeared to have been copy and pasted from a site/blog/email for print at (or about) the time of their Earth Day editions.

    My former shop had the same letter submitted.

    Apparently plagiarism doesn't mean much to these Earth Day/Meat Climate Change folks.

    Most of the letters include the following (sometimes word for word):

    "With the 47th annual observance of Earth Day just around the corner, this is a great time to explore more effective ways of slowing climate change and conserving Earth’s natural resources for future generations.
    A 2010 U.N. report charged animal agriculture with 19 percent of manmade greenhouse gases — more than all transport — and recommended a global shift to a vegan diet. A subsequent Worldwatch Institute study placed that contribution closer to 50 percent. Meat and dairy production also dumps more water pollutants than all other human activities combined. It is the driving force in global deforestation and wildlife habitat destruction.
    In fall 2015, England's prestigious Chatham House declared that reducing meat consumption is critical to achieving global climate goals. A report from Oxford University found that global adoption of a vegan diet would reduce greenhouse emissions by two-thirds. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has recommended reduced meat consumption and an environmentally sustainable diet.
    Just as we replace fossil fuels with wind, solar and other sustainable energy sources, we must replace animal foods with the more sustainable vegetables, fruits and grains. Being mindful of this can help us make better choices at the supermarket."

    That's what you get when you call and ask a reader if he or she submitted a letter but NOT if the person actually wrote it. Oh well. Nobody got time for that.
     
  2. Riptide

    Riptide Well-Known Member

    VEGANS!!!
     
  3. cjericho

    cjericho Well-Known Member

    Maybe it is like their prayer and they are each reciting it.
     
  4. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    Much like the "If alcoholism is a disease ..." letters. Or the "It's obvious Joe Schmoe won tonight's debate" emails that arrive hours before the debate.

    I was on the news desk during 9/11 and designed opinion pages for a few days afterwards. We got so many copies of Gordon Sinclair's "The Americans" that I did some Googling and found it was written in 1975, not "just that week," as so many had claimed. Made for a fun Sunday column.
     
  5. I Should Coco

    I Should Coco Well-Known Member

    Hee-hee, verifying letters to the editor. That's so 1995.

    These days papers literally will use anonymous online comments to fill op-ed pages, they're so desperate for FREE space filler.

    I've said this before ... when newspapers are dead, no one will miss the pompous windbags who up fill editorial pages. Neither the stuck-up editors nor the ax-to-grind readers.
     
  6. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    The first clue should have been proper AP Style.
     
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