I've been plagiarized. Now what?

[moonlight]

Yesterday I'm in the doctor's office waiting for my turn. To pass the time, I pick up a copy of a locally produced magazine that focuses on our region, and I stumble on to a story about a person I once wrote a feature about.

As I read on, the quotes begin to sound familiar. Then certain graphs do the same. By the time I finish the story, I am sure the quotes and some of the text have been lifted right from a story I wrote about two years ago.

After the doctor was done (you ever serve time, Doc?) I stole the magazine on my way out the door. I raced home and dug out my story. Sure enough, I found almost all the quotes and some of the paragraphs in the magazine article were word-for-word what I had written.

My question: What do I do now?

 

[Moderator1]

Show it to your supervisor and let him/her take it up the chain. That's what I did when it happened to me four years ago. I laid it on the boss' desk. The offender was out of a job within eight hours.

 

[Sunshine Scooter]

Prepare to give a beatdown.

 

[Bill Horton]

Follow Moddy's advice first, then follow it with Sunshine Scooter's advice.

 

[mediaguy]

Don't go expecting the guy to get fired. I've had writers at two major dailies rip me off -- not just a phrase or two, but flagrant cut-and-paste paragraphs -- and neither resulted in a firing. More likely scenario: a heartfelt, cookie-cutter apology letter.

 

[slappy4428]

Don't go expecting the guy to get fired. I've had writers at two major dailies rip me off -- not just a phrase or two, but flagrant cut-and-paste paragraphs -- and neither resulted in a firing. More likely scenario: a heartfelt, cookie-cutter apology letter.

Had that happen to me too -- when I was working at the small daily, by the bigger daily next door.
Showed the evidence to my boss, who took it to his boss, who did nothing because they weren't quotes....

 

[21]

moon, so you still work for the folks you wrote the feature for?

 

[moonlight]

moon, so you still work for the folks you wrote the feature for?

Yep.

 

[21]

moon, so you still work for the folks you wrote the feature for?

Yep.

Then take Moddy's advice. They own the story, it's their copyright that's been violated.

I was asking because a friend of mine had this happen recently on a freelance piece, and the publication he wrote it for wasn't all that supportive about going to the mattresses on his behalf. We always give the 'go to your boss' line here, but much harder when you don't really have a boss.

 

[Write-brained]

Did you call the cops? Fill out a report? (I think you mean your copy's been plagiarized) ;)

I imagine it's a sucky feeling to have that happen. I'd be pissed. Then again, I don't know that it's ever happened to me. What does that say about my writing? ;D

 

[write then drink]

happened to me a few years back

our editor called their editor

their editor spoke to the reporter who blatantly stole crap from me

the guilty party said, "I saw it on the internet, so I thought it was OK."

this is a national beat writer at a metro, mind you

this pathetic excuse for an explanation was accepted by the guilty party's editor, who didn't even disciplined the *******

never got an apology

twits

 

[expendable]

Yesterday I'm in the doctor's office waiting for my turn. To pass the time, I pick up a copy of a locally produced magazine that focuses on our region, and I stumble on to a story about a person I once wrote a feature about.

As I read on, the quotes begin to sound familiar. Then certain graphs do the same. By the time I finish the story, I am sure the quotes and some of the text have been lifted right from a story I wrote about two years ago.

After the doctor was done (you ever serve time, Doc?) I stole the magazine on my way out the door. I raced home and dug out my story. Sure enough, I found almost all the quotes and some of the paragraphs in the magazine article were word-for-word what I had written.

My question: What do I do now?

There, copied your post word for word. ;D

Seriously, it sounds like the subject of the story gave your story to the writer as background (I hate when people do that to me). Just tell me your damn story, and I'll use my own words.

 

[Ace]

happened to me a few years back

our editor called their editor

their editor spoke to the reporter who blatantly stole crap from me

the guilty party said, "I saw it on the internet, so I thought it was OK."

this is a national beat writer at a metro, mind you

this pathetic excuse for an explanation was accepted by the guilty party's editor, who didn't even disciplined the *******

never got an apology

twits

If I had taken the proper channels and nothing happened, I'd go to step two.

If you have a blog at the paper, post the similarities and make sure to alert some friends in the media so it gets out there.

No way editors should let this crap slide. If people are going to be losing their jobs these days, we should start with the plagiarists.

 

[Babs]

If people are going to be losing their jobs these days, we should start with the plagiarists.

Can I get a t-shirt with this on it?

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Did you call the cops? Fill out a report? (I think you mean your copy's been plagiarized) ;)

I imagine it's a sucky feeling to have that happen. I'd be pissed. Then again, I don't know that it's ever happened to me. What does that say about my writing? ;D

That your distinctive voice is a dead giveaway?
I'm in a good mood today.

 

[forever_town]

Take it up the chain of command. Don't let your editors sit on it.

A good cease and desist letter should scare the **** out of most plagiarists.

A reporter for the other paper in our group had one of his stories plagiarized by The Washington Post. The next day, they printed a correction that indicated the story was originally reported by the paper in question. Our publisher told me later on that the Post fired said reporter.

 

[Write-brained]

Did you call the cops? Fill out a report? (I think you mean your copy's been plagiarized) ;)

I imagine it's a sucky feeling to have that happen. I'd be pissed. Then again, I don't know that it's ever happened to me. What does that say about my writing? ;D

That your distinctive voice is a dead giveaway?
I'm in a good mood today.

You must be. I was sitting here in protective gear waiting to be blasted for asking such an open-ended question. :)

 

[Terence Mann]

Try to find another copy of the magazine.
Return the one you stole.
Give your editor the new copy.
Tell your editor.
Let your editor decide how to proceed.

 

[Jim_Mora]

wait wait wait

you just stole the magazine from the doctors office and yet have the audacity to complain about someone copying your work?

 

[Clever username]

Try to find another copy of the magazine.
Return the one you stole.
Give your editor the new copy.
Tell your editor.
Let your editor decide how to proceed.

Or at least tear the address tab off.