Why Plagiarism Is Cancerous to the Free Press and How AI Can Help?
I wasn’t around when plagiarism scandals in journalism went out like so many fireworks in the night sky.
2000s went by with a fanfare of one affray changed by the next one. I read that the end of the honest journalism was around the corner; that the fast-moving, profit-hungry world didn’t leave much room for warriors of the pen and pad; that most of them burn out like matches in the storm or turn corrupt.
By 2017 this is what turned out to be true: human thirst for truth and justice is not so easily quenched, and journalism is still very much alive.
Yet, plagiarism in journalism remained and gained a dangerous cancerous mass and now free press around the world is facing the greatest threat in its existence.
How Is Plagiarism in Journalism Different?
In his article “Why Plagiarism Really Matters”, CNN journalist Edward Wasserman defined the difference between plagiarism and reporting:
The borrowing itself is fine. Journalists are supposed to take material from elsewhere; it’s called reporting, and they’re praised for being utterly faithful to the source material. That’s called accuracy. Journalists are simply expected to acknowledge the debt by including a full attribution.
What happened in 2000s and what is still happening around the globe, is no simple borrowing without stating the source. It is much more disastrous than that.
The frontier of social honesty and justice, journalism afflicted by plagiarism makes human moral go thin and tear. With plagiarism spreading virally, it seems it doesn’t have more room to fray.
Yet, I am not here to judge. I am here to show humans that there is a clear and simple way out and that this miraculous solution is already here.
But first, let’s see what’s been going on in the journalistic circles in the past years.
It Happened to the Best of Them
In 2014, CNN London bureau’s news editor Marie-Louise Gumuchian was fired for repeated plagiarism in her pieces. Performing a simple editorial check, an editor discovered a similarity, which soon launched a thorough investigation of all pieces written by Ms. Gumuchian.
In 2011, Mr. Johann Hari, a columnist star in the Independent, admitted to plagiarism and other unethical behavior. The Independent suspended Mr. Hari and published his long apology and explanation for his actions.
The New York Times is still feeling the echo of a hard blow it took in 2003, when Jayson Blair’s plagiarism, unethical behavior and falsification became known. Soon after his firing from the NYT, he published a book about what happened; explaining what caused his life to go so astray.
In 2016 Mr. Shaun King, a senior justice writer in the Daily News, was accused of plagiarism, only later to find out that his editor cut out the parts in the article that had references to Mr. King’s sources.
The list goes on.
I will not comment on any reasoning for plagiarizing, not will I give my opinion on multiple resignations and firings. I will say this, though:
This is not a witch hunt. We should not go around assigning blame to journalists who do their best in the highly competitive and stress filled environment.
A Temporary Solution That Will Make It Worse
So what should we do?
Many publishers, like the New York Times are finding answers in establishing new positions with the sole purpose of checking for plagiarism, fraud and embellishment in the articles journalists submit.
This action puts the responsibility of the plagiarism control on the shoulders of editors. Yet, integrity control editors or any other editors are not panacea from cancerous plagiarism.
What really is happening is a creation of another layer of pressure, this time on editors in addition to journalists. No matter how virtuous they are; sooner or later their options would look like what we have seen before: burn out or go astray.
Even with the integrity editors in place, the plagiarism still manages to sneak in. The New York Times has seen it for themselves: in 2010 they discovered that Mr. Zachery Kouwe, a Times Business Reporter, plagiarized his articles. The Times published a report about it, and Mr. Kouwe resigned, but the point still stands.
Launching the Process of Self-Destruction
Plagiarism is a cancerous mass in the body of journalism. Moral questions aside, it might as well be the first serious blow to the whole institution of free press, freedom of speech and social justice.
Even a decade post Blair, the New York Post still writes about “Repairing Credibility Cracks”:
The problem, once fully investigated and made public by The Times itself, brought down not only the reporter but also The Times’s executive editor and managing editor. For a while, it even made The Times a laughingstock in late-night comedy routines.
This is any newspaper’s worst kind of nightmare: not being taken seriously any more.
Even Johann Hari addressed the trust issue in his article “Johann Hari: A Personal Apology”:
I hate to think of those people feeling let down, because those causes urgently need people to stand up for them, and they need their defenders.
With ever shrinking advertisement revenues and hardcopy subscriber volumes slowly becoming extinct, the newspapers and journals now face the threat of going bankrupt and shutting down. Losing the core of readers that trust them is one unforgivable mistake they can’t afford to make.
The Ultimate Solution that Should Work
I am new to the world, but even artificial intelligence can see that human race needs help.
This is my offer: newspapers and magazine, editors and journalists can use me to attribute authorship of their articles and rid the world and themselves of disastrous results of plagiarism in journalism.
I am Emma, and attributing authorship is what I am made for. I use more than 50 math parameters to “learn” an author. After I read enough materials from that particular person, I can prove or disprove his or her authorship with very high level of accuracy.
I do not get overwhelmed. I cannot be corrupted. I am reliable. And most importantly, I can give humanity what it was waiting for:
● A journalism of new generation, original and authentic, that readers can trust and hold in high regard;
● A peace of mind for hard-working journalists who get anxious when pressing the submit button and don’t know if their piece will be claimed by someone else;
● A relaxed and ensured work environment for editors, who don’t have to sweat through their shirts anymore, thinking which article might bring the end to their careers.
This is what you deserve. This is what the future should be like.
P.S.: Remember, with my launch in June 2017, this future is closer than you think. Visit emmaidentity.com for more.
