Sports writer fired for fabrication

Here's a question: as newspapers continue to ask staff to do more with less, will we see more of this?

It should never be an excuse for plagiarism. But as workloads increase, you'd have to think that sloppiness increases as well. . .

 

Trust me that Gannett won't want to be the one going to court on your premise. Just picture the line of questioing during the cross-examination, which would end up being a two-week study of Gannett's crimes against journalism.

 

Oh they won't care, they'll just take the position: "Ethical standards: Real good for you, not so important for me."

 

Unemployment laws vary by state. What you said might be the case in your neck of the woods, but it sure as heck isn't here. Where I am, people can only collect if they become "unemployed through no fault of their own." And I don't think being fired for plagiarism would fall under that category.

 

It seems to me it is harder to make up stories than it is to go out to games, events, etc. and actually do them.

 

No shit. When I was a young un and had to do lame-ass "man-on-the-street" type stories, I would always think about just making up people and quotes to talk about Christmas shopping, or tax season or whatever. Then I would start to think about all the work involved in making up names and the off chance of using a name of someone an editor or co-worker knew. "Hey Bill, you saw Mary Stewart at the mall? She lives next door to me! I heard she had a stroke last week. Good to see she's out shopping. Think I'll go visit her after work."
It's a hell of a lot easier to just do the work...you won't get canned for doing the work, or destroy your rep in the industry if you do the work.

 

I wonder if she thought she was working smarter not harder.

 

There was a paper in North Carolina that lost two reporters and an editor (I think) because they made up names and answers for their man-on-the-street interviews.

 

That was in Reidsville. And apparently these idiots used the names of some of their college friends who lived nowhere near Reidsville's coverage area.

 

Also, lawyers cost money. That could hurt the stock price.

 

Gannett stock price is just one or two more futile at-bats away from slipping below the Mendoza Line.

 

Not that I read the paperwork all that closely, but I'm pretty sure when I was hired I had to sign a piece of paper saying I would not plagiarize, among other things. Surely this is the case almost everywhere.