Link Boycott of Pro-Plagiarism Journalists (Other Bloggers Welcome to Join In)
In response to a recent, simultaneously patronizing and paranoid column in the National Post which claims that criticizing journalists for plagiarism is akin to subjecting them to Cultural Revolution-style oppression, as well as in the wake of the Globe & Mail’s apparent decision not to dismiss, suspend, or seriously investigate plagiarizing columnist Margaret Wente, I’ve been racking my brains trying to think up some way that I could push for greater accountability and responsibility from Canada’s professional media circus.
Because we could sure use it. The general tenor of commentary from pundits like those described above is that professional journalists are above accountability, that readers do not have the right to complain about their (apparent lack of) professional standards, and that they are simply far too busy and postmodern to be bothered by silly rules like “don’t plagiarize.” Ironically, in choosing to back their own rather than to defend their collective reputation, many of Canada’s journalists are implying what some of us believed all along: that for all our various faults, political bloggers actually have higher standards than professional reporters.
Anyhow, I couldn’t think of much I could do, especially on my own. But I can do the following, as meaningless and trivial as it may be, and I encourage other bloggers to adopt this statement of principles as well (or at least to consider what other measures they will take):
- When I mention a journalist who has repeatedly lifted material without attribution, especially from fellow bloggers, I will always add that fact in brackets, preferably with a link explaining why. For instance: Margaret Wente (a documented plagiarist). I’m considering whether the same thing should apply to any media organization that continues to employ plagiarists, across the board.
- When I mention a journalist who has defended plagiarism by fellow reporters, I will always state that fact, in line with the above. For instance: Terence Corcoran (who defends plagiarism by fellow journalists)
- I will not link to any column by any plagiarist or defender of plagiarism, ever. If I feel the need to write about their columns, I will do so, as I have on many occasions before. I may write about it positively, when I think they’ve written something of decent quality. I may even quote from them, where appropriate. But no link juice. The moment you decided to defend plagiarism was the moment you exempted yourself from the privilege of full participation in the online community.
So far, the reporters I will be treating in this fashion are: Margaret Wente (obviously) of the Globe & Mail, Jesse Brown of Maclean’s, Terence Corcoran of the National Post, Dan Delmar of the Post (and elsewhere), and Tim Harper of the Toronto Star. Unless any of them publicly recant of their views, the list will only grow, not shrink.
I doubt any of them will care what a small humble blogger does. But I’m doing this out of principle, not because I think it will have any effect. I hope other bloggers will consider what they can do, as well.
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fern hill
Excellent idea! I’m in.
Timothy Friesen
Your Jesse Brown link currently links to the same link as the Dan Delmar link. Could you please update this?
Sixth Estate
Wow, that’s an ironic error under the circumstances. Consider it done.
thwap
Check out David Climenhaga:
http://thwapschoolyard.blogspot.ca/2012/09/what-fuck.html
(no linky love)
Sixth Estate
I’m disappointed to see Climenhaga take that perspective. He does acknowledge that it’s plagiarism but says it isn’t “egregious” and calls it “pedestrian.”
He suggests that we should agree on an appropriate punishment for plagiarism. That’s precisely what I’m trying to do here on this blog. My proposal is: if someone plagiarizes, or defends plagiarism, at the very least bloggers should not link to their work.
Lorne
While I think you are onto a good idea here, I’m not sure I agree with you lumping Tim Harper into the same mix as Corcoran and the others. I read Harper’s offending column, and although I was somewhat disappointed with it, all he really did was point out that social media means reporters have to be especially careful in their attributions, and that it is not that hard to unknowingly plagiarize.
While that might be construed as a defense of Wente, who is without doubt a serial plagiarist from everything I’ve read about her work over the years, I thought it was more just some observations about the need to be very careful these days.
Sixth Estate
Harper is, by any account, less offensive than, say, Corcoran on this score, yes.
The reasons I was upset with him are as follows:
(a) He suggests that this could happen to any journalist (“there but for the Grace of God go I…”. No, it couldn’t. Not unless it is common practice among Canadian journalists to copy substantive material verbatim without attribution.
(b) This leads him into a rambling series of situations in which he thinks he might be “accused of plagiarism” because of the recycling of ideas, none of which have anything to do with the present issue. I explain my concerns in greater detail here:
http://sixthestate.net/?p=6606
I appreciate Harper’s reluctance to, as he put it, “pile on.” But the fact is that plagiarism is not acceptable and that when it is exposed it ought to be dealt with appropriately, even if that means “piling on.” We are not talking here about the accidental recycling of some ideas, but about the lifting of passages verbatim, and nearly verbatim. As such, I consider this column, well-meaning as it may have been, to be a deflection from the main issue.
Sam Gunsch
Agreed – integrity is paramount… the “main issue” is the main issue… is my response to this by SE: “I appreciate Harper’s reluctance to, as he put it, “pile on.” But the fact is that plagiarism is not acceptable and that when it is exposed it ought to be dealt with appropriately, even if that means “piling on.” We are not talking here about the accidental recycling of some ideas, but about the lifting of passages verbatim, and nearly verbatim. As such, I consider this column, well-meaning as it may have been, to be a deflection from the main issue.”
Sam Gunsch
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