Plagiarism
Plagiarism in Journalism
What is plagiarism in journalism? Learn more about the consequences of plagiarism, discover famous cases, and read an analysis of technology's impact on journalism today
Similar to other industries and fields, plagiarism in journalism is a serious problem that undermines the credibility and integrity of the media. The media is at the center of informing the public, so trust between journalists and their audience is crucial.
When plagiarism occurs, it breaches this trust, creating far-reaching consequences. Plagiarism impacts the affected journalist, the organization as a whole, and the entire umbrella of organizations that fall under the term ‘media.’
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at plagiarism in journalism: what it means, what the consequences are, and some famous cases. Then, we’ll analyze how technology affects journalism today and what can be done to help rebuild media credibility.
The typical definition of plagiarism involves using someone else’s work or ideas without properly giving them credit. It could be as simple as copying and pasting or it could mean failing to credit the original author (of a quote, for example).
Given that journalism and news cycles in general are so fast-paced, it’s easy to see how a journalist could, under pressure, be tempted to take someone else’s words or ideas and claim them as their own.
However, plagiarism in journalism carries severe repercussions. Plagiarism has led to entire careers crumbling, tarnished media reputations, and an erosion of public trust to the point where many people believe the media simply cannot be trusted.
What can journalists do to fight back against plagiarism and restore that trust? That’s just one of the many things we’ll be looking at in this article.
One of the more (in)famous cases of plagiarism in journalism involved Jayson Blair in 2003. That year, it was discovered that he had plagiarized and fabricated parts of his stories over several years. This blew up as a huge scandal for The New York Times. Jayson resigned, The New York Times publicly apologized, and several of the paper’s top editors resigned.
Yet, newspapers aren’t the only ones affected by plagiarism. In 2012, Fareed Zakaria of CNN and Time Magazine was found to have plagiarized a paragraph from The New Yorker in one of his columns. He apologized and, after a review, was reinstated. Still, just like in the case of Jayson Blair, the incident raised many questions about journalism, ethics, and editorial oversight.
These cases and many more like them underscore the pressures that journalists face with the constant demand for attention-grabbing, quality content. But when journalists are caught plagiarizing, it’s not just the person themselves who is punished. Their actions have a ripple effect throughout the media as a whole, and that trust, once eroded, is hard to recover.
For the journalist, plagiarism can be a career-ender. Then, plagiarism also seeps out to affect editors and everyone else higher in the hierarchy — whose job it is to uncover these cases. It erodes the journalist’s credibility and that of the organization as a whole.
As these issues continue, the public becomes more skeptical, cynical, and distrustful. So when there’s a real ‘boy cries wolf’ scenario, the media’s warnings are highly likely to be disregarded.
This is to say nothing of the financial repercussions the organization itself may face in light of plagiarism accusations. There may be significant legal fees and other hurdles that, depending on the level of plagiarism or the type of plagiarism, may be significant. All of this reflects poorly on the journalist, the organization, and the industry as a whole.
Depending on the type of plagiarism and its severity, there may be more than just legal consequences. Copyright infringement is one of many common charges as are defamation, breach of contract, and liability. Journalists found to have plagiarized are likely to lose any subsequent career opportunities in the field. It may even result in lawsuits with court costs and settlement fees that need to be paid.
Technology, particularly AI, has had a seismic effect on journalism and plagiarism. AI (artificial intelligence) has sped up the content creation process, nearly automating the time-consuming task of researching and gathering information.
At the same time, technology has also increased the public’s voracious appetite for information. It’s no longer enough for news organizations to be ‘always on.’ They must also constantly produce and create content, while looking for any shred of news to examine, magnify, and discuss.
However, AI is a double-edged sword. With the ease of creating content, there is also the challenge of distinguishing fact from fiction. AI is notorious for producing ‘hallucinations’ or made-up ‘facts’ it presents as reality. Considering that AI pulls from so many sources and extensive training data, it doesn’t always have the capacity to distinguish its statements as true or false.
This is one of the many reasons why Originality.ai created an automated fact-checker. This thorough real-time fact-checking tool looks for sources to back up statements, adding proof and credibility. Keep in mind, however, that no AI is perfect and there are times, especially with highly technical statements, that AI still makes mistakes. Just like humans, it’s always learning.
The biggest step in avoiding plagiarism in journalism is knowing what plagiarism is. It’s not just ‘copying text verbatim.’ Taking someone else’s statement and changing a word here or there, making up sources or quotes — all of these constitute plagiarism to different degrees.
There is no such thing as asking, “How many words can I use until something is considered plagiarism?” If you have to ask, don’t do it.
As well as knowing what plagiarism is, it also helps to take detailed notes. Then, always acknowledge your sources and give credit where it’s due (including to yourself!).
Foster a culture of ethics and integrity in the workplace. Seek out feedback from others to get new ideas or angles on a piece you’re working on. Given the breakneck pace of journalism, these can sound like a tall order to fill. However, taking steps to maintain integrity now will help you avoid repercussions later.
Just as technology made it easier for journalists to create compelling copy, it can also help journalists to prevent plagiarism or spot it in their writing. Tools like Originality.ai’s plagiarism checker scour online databases to find sources and flag potentially plagiarized text.
Originality.ai goes well beyond even the most well-known online plagiarism detectors. Using sophisticated AI and machine learning algorithms, Originality.ai can also detect AI writing with a high degree of accuracy. It can detect AI-generated text from popular AI generators like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, and more.
If you’re concerned about AI ‘hallucinations’ making it into your facts or statistics, it’s also a good idea to consider using Originality.ai’s real-time fact checker. When submitting a document through Originality.ai, you can choose each check respectively (plagiarism, fact-checking, and AI writing). Alternatively, you can opt for the tool to review them all at once.
Then, Originality.ai displays a comprehensive report on the completion of the scan so that you can check the flagged passages carefully and make an informed decision.