Plagiarism by a Journalist
The word "plagiarism" refers to the act of taking another person's writing and passing it off as your own. The act of plagiarism, according to the Britannica Encyclopedia, is closely related to forgery and piracy, and it is in violation of copyright laws. In today's fast-paced, cut-throat world of journalism, reporters are under immense pressure to deliver stories swiftly, consistently and accurately. The ease of access via the Internet to an abundance of information on any subject provides a way out for a journalist racing against time, but plagiarism is the cardinal sin of journalism.
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What Is Plagiarism?
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The simplest way to define plagiarism is that a person passes of another's work as her own. However, in journalism this "copying" can take many forms: copying information gained by another reporter without giving credit to either the reporter or the publication; copying another person's words or written material; or copying the idea originally proposed by another person. Sometimes this plagiarism can be unconscious, as a reporter may repeat the information or words she has read in another publication in her story without providing a reference or crediting the original source.
The Jayson Blair case
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One of the most high-profile cases of plagiarism by journalists involved Jayson Blair, a former reporter of the New York Times. In March 2004 Blair admitted to having fabricated or plagiarized most of the stories he wrote for the prestigious newspaper. Following up on the consequences of the Iraq war from the United States, Jayson Blair filed interviews from different locations like West Virginia, Texas and Ohio without actually traveling there. He later confessed that he had made up most of the information and "re-created" events. Blair was then sacked from the New York Times, and the publication received a terrible blow to its credibility.
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Consequences of Plagiarism
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In any case of plagiarism in journalism, it is not only the journalist's credibility that is at stake, but also that of the organization. Though the journalist may be sacked, the plagiarism brings forth the fact that the publication's editors have failed in verifying the information for authenticity and originality. In the world of journalism, credibility cannot be earned easily, and plagiarism deals a major blow to a newspaper's standing.
Avoiding Plagiarism
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Whether in journalism, academic writing or any other creative field, there are a few simple methods that can be followed to avoid plagiarizing: by analysis and the process of information gathering to come up with an original view of the issue; communicating this original point of view; paraphrasing information that has been obtained from another source; and quoting the original publication or writer (with a reference) when the words have not been paraphrased; and citing all the sources that have been used while researching the piece.
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