COPY and PASTE

The hip, simple, trendy NEW way to meet deadline...

By: ve289007@ohio.edu
Valerie Evans

Stephen Glass: I didn't do anything wrong, Chuck.

Chuck Lane: I really wish you'd stop saying that.

Both the photo (right) and quote (above) are pulled from the film Shattered Glass. The film depicts the true story of the fraudulent, young journalist Stephen Glass at The New Republic as he works his way up the ladder by fabricating about 27 out of his 41 published articles. Glass was caught in 1998 and a growing list of others have been following his lead ever since.

This fast-paced society we live in today has evolved with the inventions of the internet, WiFi, and online journalism. The public now expects the story to be in their hands before the reporter has even begun typing it. But is America's TURBO-mode an excuse for the shortcuts journalists seem to be taking, in order to give the readers what they want while also establishing a name for themselves in the print-world?

Life is full of pressure, no matter what one's profession may be. That is no excuse to ever copy and paste another's work into one's own (without accreditation) in order to meet deadline or boost one's career. It undermines one's publication and slaps the words ethics and credibility across the table and into the garbage...an action any journalist should be ashamed of.

Shortcuts are beneficial, yes. But working with ethics and morals towards gaining credibility has already been established as the go-to way to become a successful journalist. Skip the copying and pasting and move on to producing innovative story ideas written with heaps of originality. Journalists need to focus on creating a name for themselves through great writing, this new trend of fabricating stories and stealing other journalists' quotes and articles is one I hope to see die out. It is not reflective of the ethics we are currently being taught.