Inquirer writer accused of plagiarism

This has been henryhenry's take on plagiarism for as long as he's posted here.

 

Putting ethics aside, it's just plain dumb to plagiarize nowadays because as incredibly easy as it is to steal, it's just as easy to get caught.

You are putting your career and reputation in jeopardy -- and for what?

 

I'm way too egotistical to plagiarize.

 

To a certain extent, all journalists have plagiarized. If you've written down information from a media guide or a press release, and didn't mention the source of the information, you've plagiarized because it's not an original thought or work. What Kevin appears to have done was lift the entire body of work and tried to pass it as his own. Again, he's he's been around to know better.

 

"Mediocre writers borrow; Great writers steal."

- TS Eliot

 

There are things where the lines are not clearly drawn and on those I'm sympathetic.

Copying a press release is one. The Sunday notes packages are another. Sometimes I think those things only exist to give editors a reason to fire writers. I know a few writers who have lost their jobs and several others who were suspended as a result of one editor's different interpretation of how these things work. Hell, I replaced a guy who was fired (probably unjustly in my opinion) because of one editor thought something he did was wrong that the previous editor thought was fine.

Taking what someone else wrote and passing it off as your own is plagiarism. On that, there can't be any wiggle room.

He may very well be the greatest guy in the world, but you can't do shit like that.

 

No question with that one Mizzou.

 

The unforgivable sins in journalism are stealing/plagiarizing from others and fabricating quotes...

I think the fabricating happens a lot more often than plagiarism, but it's a lot easier to prove one than the other...

 

Because this monthly catechism must be complete:

Is fabrication worse than plagiarism? If so, how so?

 

Both are equally bad and unforgivable, but one is nearly impossible to prove.

 

I disagree. If an interview is taped, the fabrication can be proven very easily.

 

Duh...

You would have to be pretty stupid to fabricate a quote from a press conference or a taped interview. That's not to say it doesn't happen.

A lot of this goes back to the Woody Paige discussion from a few months ago. You have to love it when the columnist starts interviewing people on the street and they come back with the perfect quote.

It happens all the time and unless the columnist gets the name and phone number of the person who they're quoting, nobody can check on it, nobody can tell if the person even exists.

I remember going to a game with a co-worker. We left the hotel together, drove to the game, walked to the press box together, ate lunch together, I sat next to him during the game, we were both in the locker room at the same time, we walked back to the press box after the locker room and then we drove back together.

In the next day's paper, he had a story with quotes from fans (more than five) at the stadium before the game.

Could he have snuck out and gotten those quotes? Sure. Do I think he did? Hell no...
I wasn't going to ask him about it anymore than I was going to turn him in.

I saw that a lot. Based on my conversations with others, I think shit like that is pretty widespread...