Plagiarism

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

I dunno talk_politics community standards but plagiarism shouldn't be acceptable.

I'm not going to call anyone out, not directly. But it was pointed out that an entry with over 100 comments is a lightly edited version of one by a profession pundit. Frankly I agree.


In a private conversation, another opinion stated that, It's more than "lightly edited," it's the same story rephrased completely differently using the same videos. and later explained, We consistently have long posts that ipaste liberally from news reports and such, so there'd be no issue even then. Perhaps this is true, but I don't like it.

Let me tell you an story. We used to have a great reporter here who used to climb up into the rafters of CityHall to eavesdrop in on the closed door sessions and reported what was going on. Later this reporter was elected Mayor and eventually Premier of the Province. People didn't always like what he did or what he had to say, but he was never caught in a lie. Ralph Klein was perhaps one of the only honest politicians. This not only made him a great Premier, loved by many, but also made him hated and the target of much criticism.

Well shortly before Ralph Klein retired as Premier an investigative journalist accused him of plagiarizing an essay on Chile for his degree in communications. It wasn't so much that he copy/pasted whole paragraphs, but that he failed to cite his internet sources. The university cleared him, saying the infraction was relatively minor, but still his critics, never willing to let a grudge go, never fail to bring this up whenever he makes the news.

This community is just for fun. I don't mean to place too much importance on it's importance, if you catch my drift. But really, how hard is it to cite a source? I mean if somebody is going to copy/paste/lightly edit somebody else's work, the only reason to do so it to disguise the origin and pass it off as your own. It's probably better find something so completely obscure that it can't be found in a simple google search of the text you used.

Better yet, why not just write your own piece? For myself it's often amazing to discover my own opinions that are only revealed to myself through my writing. I have learned that the process of writing is the process of forming my perspectives on subjects.

Comments

[airiefairie.livejournal.com]

I have done it too. Once. And I repent (http://airiefairie.livejournal.com/137933.html). Over and over again. It is something that will haunt me until my last breath. Someone claiming to be a journalist of some sort should never allow herself to do that.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

Well, when you're really cute, you tend to get away with a few minor infractions.

[airiefairie.livejournal.com]

Discrimination!

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

It is something that will haunt me until my last breath

I luld big time.

[girlspell.livejournal.com]

The same thing happened to a highly respected reporter for our local newspaper in 2006. Had been writing a twice weekly column for 27 years and had won many awards. He was accused of plagiarism. He apparently was using whole sections of work from other papers without attribution. What alerted the investigation by another writer (for a rival paper), was a paragraph the newspaper corrected. It being an identical paragraph from another paper. It could have been in error, I don't know. But it in effect destroyed his career. He was forced to resign.

[lordtwinkie.livejournal.com]

There is a difference from citing/explictly letting the reader know that what they are reading is from another source and not original ideas, and passing off whole posts as original thoughts.

For reference I believe you are referring to this post

http://community.livejournal.com/talk_politics/483411.html?nc=143

Which is similary to this one article

http://michellemalkin.com/2010/04/09/alan-grayson-goes-nuts-at-a-perkins-family-restaurant/

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Ahh I should have known something that blindingly hypocritical would be Malkin

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

Which is the exact post I've been warned by the moderator to not name. Apparently, according to a mod of this community, it was edited enough to not be considered plagiarism, but "ipasted liberally". I call foul be he says it's ok.

[pmax3.livejournal.com]

If you rephrase someone's opinion in your own words, that's at least not copyright violation. And the fact that you have done the effort of rephrasing it in your words also means that you have understood the original source and intentionally or unintentionally imbued it with your personal interpretation of it. So, in my opinion, it is a far lesser crime than copy-pasting.

The intellectual dishonesty that is involved here is that you are trying to claim to have done more thorough work than you really have if you fail to site your "inspiration", and such omission, if intentional, can be brought to light by pointing out that someone has already thought along those lines, and the ideas presented are not original.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Still a good idea to reference your ideas.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

I ignore the copyright issue as I'm not sure if copyright is an issue.

Inspired... while that's a one dollar word for a buck. A rose by any other name, eh? There is dishonesty here, not sure if it's especially intellectual.

[lordtwinkie.livejournal.com]

Also isn't one of the rules is to have original material in your post not just a cut and paste job?

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

To help me explain, let me edit your reply for you...

Also isn't one of our rules is to have original material in your post not just a cut and paste job?

I didn't just cut and paste your words, I edited enough to change the meaning and now I don't have to source this sentence, as it's not yours. It's mine. Apparently, according to at least one mod, this is ok.

The post in question edited enough of Michele Malkin that it's not plagiarism, according to the mod.

And the post I originally did about this issue was not censored, but deleted in haste. The problem being that I called out the author by name.

Yes, I'm pissed about it.

[pmax3.livejournal.com]

It's amazingest that you have a premier like that. Best guarantee of effectiveness. But if his commitment to truth is strong, then it is surprising that he hasn't come out and said that he made an error in the past, and has since improved. That would be more than sufficient to silence his critics.

I do share your views on stealing someone's ideas and hiding the sources to be deplorable.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

That would be more than sufficient to silence his critics.

Canadian politics are a bit less crazy than American, but I still seriously doubt that.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

Klein was an amazing Premier. He made cuts in service, privatized gov't assets and eventually took Alberta out of debt. He has been retired for a few years now.

Truth will get you in trouble. His commitment to truth was raw and often uncensored. His leadership was often criticized for answering questions with honesty; saying things like "I don't know", "Your concerns are the furthest thing from my mind" and calling people names, etc.

During boom times before the crash we had serious problems finding labour here. After a night of heavy drinking he had his limo stop at a homeless shelter where he called them bums and berated them for not getting jobs when there while there were so many jobs to be had.

Most of all he went against every known poli-sci strategy. It was shocking that a reporter would pose a serious question asking what he was planning to do about this issue or that, and he would answer, "I dunno" A premier is not supposed to be able to do that. They're supposed to bullshit or at least convey that they're thinking about it or waiting on facts or something.

[pmax3.livejournal.com]

I din't know about the background drama :(

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

http://community.livejournal.com/talk_politics/484342.html?thread=34593526#t34593526

[devil-ad-vocate.livejournal.com]

I was a stickler on citing sources when I taught undergraduate courses, and was close to paranoid about it when presenting my own papers for graduate classes... however, I often cut and paste when making comments on LJ. Adding quote marks indicates that it's not original. The internetz ain't gradjit school.

[lordtwinkie.livejournal.com]

interwebtubes ain't no skooling, but its just good etiquette to use quotation marks, or italics or block paragraph indentions. something to let the reader know you aren't trying to pass off shit as your own, wars have been started for less.

the truth

[dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com]

First of all, I didn NOT read Michelle Malkin's article. This (http://www.teapartypatriotslive.com/2010/04/09/alan-grayson-interrupts-republican-district-meeting/) is the article I read. I've now edited the post to include the source. Oddly enough, it seems Malkin plagiarized by copying and pasting the full text in HER blog, so why don't you grab your pitchforks and go after her? It would be hypocritical of you not to. FYI, if anyone actually took the time to read my blog, they'd notice that I consistently include sources in my posts. Also, I have never once claimed to be a "journalist", so I don't know where that's coming from. The videos that I used may be the exact same videos as in the original article, but that's because I wanted to include the raw footage instead of watered-down, over-edited news reports. Do you cry "plagiarism" everytime someone posts a YouTube video because they didn't film it?
Secondly, if you'll look at rule #8 of the rules for this community, it states:
We strongly encourage personal opinion and analysis, rather than posting a single link, copy-pasting some article or embedding a Youtube video. This is generally considered low-quality and would in most cases be removed. Don't be so lazy, we're interested in your personal position! :)
I gave my personal opinion in the three paragraphs after the videos (now after the source link). The only portions of the article that are copied and pasted were direct quotes.
Since the mod of this comm stated that I DID NOT PLAGIARIZE, I think this post should be removed and I want an apology. This is ridiculous and borders on trolling. If you have some issue with how I post, allhatnocattle, then you take it up with me in PM.
Finally, the_rukh, your earlier apology is NOT accepted considering your comment on this entry referring to me as a "crazy woman". The point of an apology is to learn from your mistakes and since you clearly haven't, I have no reason to forgive you or be respectful to you.
If anyone else has any issues from now on, take it up with me in PM.

Re: the truth

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

It is always just good etiquette to cite the source of such deep inspiration. Especially when whole sentences are lifted. Lightly edited but intact...

"On Thursday, April 8th, 2010, Congressman Alan Grayson, Democrat in Florida’s 8th district, interrupted a district meeting of the local Orange County Republican Executive Committee. The meeting was being held at Perkins, a family restaurant."

So if that is not plagiarism, it's extremely liberal copy-paste. And source is still nice, regardless.

Sorry, I was referring to Michelle Malkin as a profession journalist. Obviously you're not a journalist. Malkin at least left citation of her source with a link, and emboldened the lifted text.

BTW Teabaggers are sick.

Re: the truth

[wyrrlen.livejournal.com]

Did it not occur to you that the_rukh might have been referring to Michelle Malkin as the crazy woman? You may want to reread that thread in context of the subject. As an aside, when you make demands for an apology, it comes across as either childish whining or an attempt to deflect the criticism made about your comments (assuming one were to wholly dismiss criticism because it is later apologized for). I'm not sure I'd want to come across like that in either way.

I found the solution!!

[pmax3.livejournal.com]

Why don't we use this software: http://wareseeker.com/free-turnitin/
As score of 20% plagiarism can be accepted as legit.

Re: I found the solution!!

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

Define 20%
One out of every five words, sentences, paragraphs or posts?
Because I've wrote at least 6 posts here, so that would mean I'm due to pass somebody else's intelligence off as my own. lol

Seriously, is it too hard to be honest and just add citations of source(s)?