If Plagiarism Is Presenting Someone Else's Work As Your Own... What Did Katie Couric Do?
from the someone-please-explain dept
There have been a number of interesting discussions from people rethinking the concept of plagiarism lately. From famous authors like Malcolm Gladwell to Jonathan Lethem, some folks are realizing that the line between plagiarism and inspiration isn't as clear cut as some would like it to be. While some claim it's just the younger generation that has a hard time understanding the difference, it clearly shifts over into the business world as well. This week, there's been some buzz over CBS News having to fire a producer who "borrowed extensively" from a Wall Street Journal column in writing up a "commentary" for newscaster Katie Couric. However, this has a few people scratching their heads -- as they realize the general definition of what plagiarism is (presenting the works of others as your own) actually applies equally to Katie Couric having some staffer write up her personal commentary (including supposed nostalgia over getting a library card). Yet, somehow having someone else write up your personal opinion and commentary is fine -- unless that commentary actually comes from someone else. And we wonder why many students today don't see plagiarism as being that bad. It's because they see the same thing done every day by adults who don't see it as being wrong at all.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Plagarism is over rated
I think some people are just grumpy that they didn't do a good job plagarising when they were students so they want to bitch now.
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Plagarism is over rated
I think some people are just grumpy that they didn't do a good job plagarising when they were students so they want to bitch now.
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I think some people are just grumpy that they didn't do a good job plagarising when they were students so they want to bitch now.
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Re:
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If Plagiarism Is Presenting Someone Else's Work As
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Re: If Plagiarism Is Presenting Someone Else's Wor
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Re: If Plagiarism Is Presenting Someone Else's Wor
From the cbsnews.com homepage.
So she is more than a (pretty) talking head. She has some responsibility for what is said.
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dammit..
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Plagiarism basically comes down to laziness and no imagination or creativity. Never have understood how someone could knowingly and willingly take credit for someone else's work as their own.
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I think some people are just grumpy that they didn't do a good job plagarising when they were students so they want to bitch now.
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Authorized vs. unauthorized
Do I think non-disclosed ghostwriting, like in the Couric case, is a great idea? Heck no -- it's Milli Vanilli with better material and shorter hair. But if the author and the speaker agree on the nature of their relationship and how the material will be presented, it's not plagiarism. In many ways, it's no different than staffers writing reports that corporate VPs take credit for.
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Plagiarism is over rated
I think some people are just grumpy that they didn't do a good job plagiarizing when they were students so they want to bitch now.
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the difference
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Re: the difference
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Plagarism is over rated
I think some people are just unhappy that they didn't do a good job plagarising when they were students so they want to kvetch now.
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
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Re: Plagarism is over rated
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funny
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True - from a legal stand point, yes.
But plagiarism is really defined as: "the act of appropriating the literary composition of another author, or excerpts, ideas, or passages therefrom, and passing the material off as one's own creation."
So - permission or not.... The Network tries to pass of the stuff Katie's reading as 'Katie's Commentary'.
No doubt it's legal and expected. But if you are looking for a literal interpretation. It's still plagiarism.
Now assuming someone the Network credits the original writer, then it's a bit different. For instance, if they say 'Commentary written by.... so and so' In that case, you aren't trying to pass off a work as someone else's.
It's really nothing to do with the law - it's how they attempt to present it. And have you ever seen them clarify that the stuff the anchors read was written by others? Ehh, maybe somewhere in there they mention it.
No big deal in the regard anyway.
Politicians are by far the worst at giving speeches and trying to pass them off as their own.
Lucky for me, I don't have to read off speeches, news articles, commentary's all day that other people write.
Wouldn't that make most normal people feel stupid?
I mean - if you are a 'News' person or a 'Statesmen' - isn't part of the pride in accomplishing the 'news' or 'speeches' yourself?
Guess not to some, hehe.
But when you look at it...
In the grand scheme of things, history will likely remember reporters who went out and got the news, who really worked as a journalist. Those people who just sit behind the desk at the camera.... ehhh... maybe.
Katie Couric will be remembered as a pretty face. It's a shame the networks don't appreciate real journalism anymore, it's all about money and politics now.
Who you think will be remembered in 100 years from now?
Katie Couric
Walter Chronkite
I suspect Walter has a better chance...
But there are REAL events Chronkite took part in. Other than sitting behind a desk and looking pretty what will there be to remember Couric for?
I'm not knocking Katie herself at all, it's just the way the news is now...
All politics.
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Re:
All in all somebody's hand is in the cookie jar.
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Lazy
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plagiarism is good; schools should
In engineering, software, production, body of law;
Plagiarism is preferred.
How many times have you heard:
"Don't re-invent the wheel"
"Code re-use", prior art.
There is a reason you build on others work, because it was good; patent law and copyright allow you to legimately compensate those who created the prior IP.
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Something else you might not know.
This has been done for many years. They even have different guilds.
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Educators are missing the point
That's right, kids: your English paper is not expected to enhance world culture, it's meant to enhance you yourself. The point is that you practice thinking, using written language, and gathering information sources.
So teachers, shut up about "plagiarism," as if that means jack to these kids. If you want to give them a useful analogy about why they should write things themselves, try something accessible, like sports. Perhaps ask them what sort of athletes they'd be if someone else lifted weights or ran laps on their behalf. The point of school work is the exercise that develops your mental muscles.
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Educators are missing the point
That's right, kids: your English paper is not expected to enhance world culture, it's meant to enhance you yourself. The point is that you practice thinking, using written language, and gathering information sources.
So teachers, shut up about "plagiarism," as if that means jack to these kids. If you want to give them a useful analogy about why they should write things themselves, try something accessible, like sports. Perhaps ask them what sort of athletes they'd be if someone else lifted weights or ran laps on their behalf. The point of school work is the exercise that develops your mental muscles.
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Re: Educators are missing the point
To use your metaphor, ask the kids if they'd rather run the laps everyday for 3 months to train for the championship and win the race-- or take someone else's medal and put their name on it. Same end result-- *way* less effort.
Guess which one they'd pick. ;)
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work is work
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True - from a legal stand point, yes.
But plagiarism is really defined as: "the act of appropriating the literary composition of another author, or excerpts, ideas, or passages therefrom, and passing the material off as one's own creation."
So - permission or not.... The Network tries to pass of the stuff Katie's reading as 'Katie's Commentary'.
No doubt it's legal and expected. But if you are looking for a literal interpretation. It's still plagiarism.
Now assuming someone the Network credits the original writer, then it's a bit different. For instance, if they say 'Commentary written by.... so and so' In that case, you aren't trying to pass off a work as someone else's.
It's really nothing to do with the law - it's how they attempt to present it. And have you ever seen them clarify that the stuff the anchors read was written by others? Ehh, maybe somewhere in there they mention it.
No big deal in the regard anyway.
Politicians are by far the worst at giving speeches and trying to pass them off as their own.
Lucky for me, I don't have to read off speeches, news articles, commentary's all day that other people write.
Wouldn't that make most normal people feel stupid?
I mean - if you are a 'News' person or a 'Statesmen' - isn't part of the pride in accomplishing the 'news' or 'speeches' yourself?
Guess not to some, hehe.
But when you look at it...
In the grand scheme of things, history will likely remember reporters who went out and got the news, who really worked as a journalist. Those people who just sit behind the desk at the camera.... ehhh... maybe.
Katie Couric will be remembered as a pretty face. It's a shame the networks don't appreciate real journalism anymore, it's all about money and politics now.
Who you think will be remembered in 100 years from now?
Katie Couric
Walter Chronkite
I suspect Walter has a better chance...
But there are REAL events Chronkite took part in. Other than sitting behind a desk and looking pretty what will there be to remember Couric for?
I'm not knocking Katie herself at all, it's just the way the news is now...
All politics.
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True - from a legal stand point, yes.
But plagiarism is really defined as: "the act of appropriating the literary composition of another author, or excerpts, ideas, or passages therefrom, and passing the material off as one's own creation."
So - permission or not.... The Network tries to pass of the stuff Katie's reading as 'Katie's Commentary'.
No doubt it's legal and expected. But if you are looking for a literal interpretation. It's still plagiarism.
Now assuming someone the Network credits the original writer, then it's a bit different. For instance, if they say 'Commentary written by.... so and so' In that case, you aren't trying to pass off a work as someone else's.
It's really nothing to do with the law - it's how they attempt to present it. And have you ever seen them clarify that the stuff the anchors read was written by others? Ehh, maybe somewhere in there they mention it.
No big deal in the regard anyway.
Politicians are by far the worst at giving speeches and trying to pass them off as their own.
Lucky for me, I don't have to read off speeches, news articles, commentary's all day that other people write.
Wouldn't that make most normal people feel stupid?
I mean - if you are a 'News' person or a 'Statesmen' - isn't part of the pride in accomplishing the 'news' or 'speeches' yourself?
Guess not to some, hehe.
But when you look at it...
In the grand scheme of things, history will likely remember reporters who went out and got the news, who really worked as a journalist. Those people who just sit behind the desk at the camera.... ehhh... maybe.
Katie Couric will be remembered as a pretty face. It's a shame the networks don't appreciate real journalism anymore, it's all about money and politics now.
Who you think will be remembered in 100 years from now?
Katie Couric
Walter Chronkite
I suspect Walter has a better chance...
But there are REAL events Chronkite took part in. Other than sitting behind a desk and looking pretty what will there be to remember Couric for?
I'm not knocking Katie herself at all, it's just the way the news is now...
All politics.
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Plagarism
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Plagiarism or research
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Plagiarism: Originality for Dummies
It's my feeling that plagiarism as it is being used today is just a way to not have to think for yourself. Just Google your subject, and take your pick from the menu of sources to steal from. No need to go any further.
Thankfully, we've got that very small percentage of the population that actually enjoys thinking.
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Yes I just plagerized Anonymous Coward
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Katie Couric is a brand
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Who cars about Katie Couric and her stupid commentary.
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Put the blame where is squarely belongs...
Do you really think that what happened to Danny-boy Rather is any different?
...my anonymous source, - anonymous because he's not officially authorized to comment, says "No"
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I agree with others who said that plagiarism is UNAUTHORIZED use, and that there is a difference between ghostwriting and plagiarism.
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CBS/Katie Couric sunk
Katie has always given me extremely bad vibes, even when she was at NBC. Something has never been right about her. She has a sickness.
CBS is truly stupid to attempt these lies on network news. It's almost as if the blogsphere paid them to be this stupid to drive more people to seek their news from blogs instead.
Katie attempted to pass off a long debunked Obama madrassa story from January in APRIL as if this was new news! Not only that, when caught with their pants down they CHANGED the transcript of what she originally said! Such lowdown dirty cheap lying deserves no respect from any viewer.
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Changing the Author on a Published Document
These documents are subsequently published in the internal knowledge-base of our large international corporation.
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