A Plagiarist's Publication

We hear it all the time! Do not plagiarize. Plagiarism is not tolerated at our institution. You could face disciplinary consequences and fail a course if you choose to plagiarize work. No matter what the context is, students worldwide have associated plagiarism with a negative connotation and rightfully so. The act of taking someone else's work and claiming it as one's own is no simple matter. In fact, it proved to be quite the debacle when an Arizona State University student plagiarized work at the East Valley Tribune and The State Press.

When a journalist plagiarizes his or her work, it compromises their journalistic and personal integrity. What value and trust is there in a writer if they cannot be depended upon for original works? And in reference to the newspapers, what responsibilities do they hold to their readers to inform them of these occurrences? While it seems to fall solely on the plagiarist, the circulations are also ethically bound to correct the mishaps at hand.

The campus paper issued an apology for the plagiarized pieces and attributed them to the correct sources. The professional newspaper did little more than acknowledge plagiarism occurred, according to an article by Craig Silverman for www.poynter.org. "These contrasting reactions highlight the lack of standardization when it comes to how news organizations respond to an incident of plagiarism or fabrication, " he says.


It all ties back in to an organization's ethics. Their credibility is also diminished when things of an ethical nature occur. However, it is the moral responsibility of that publication to right their wrongs. In the words of the Greek philosopher Epictetus, "it's not what happens to you, but it's how you react to it." This rings very true in this situation. Just as important as the act of plagiarism is the acknowledgment and attempts to rectify the situation. Although the papers' were not initially aware of the intern's doings , their attempts to make things right brought about a change that kept the readers believing in the quality of news once more.


To read the article, please visit http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/regret-the-error/187646/asu-journalism-student-plagiarizes-at-the-state-press-east-valley-tribune/ .