Plagiarism: A dire issue in journalism schools

Columbia Journalism Review’s article, “Do they get that it’s wrong?” addresses the disturbingly prevalent issue of plagiarism among student journalists. As a student at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the idea presented in this article that students caught and punished for plagiarism simply do not understand how wrong and unacceptable their actions are is both eye-opening and gut-wrenching, though not entirely surprising. In this digital age, we as students have endless information literally at our fingertips. That makes it much easier and, in some cases, more tempting for students to steal someone else’s words. For others, the wealth of information on the Internet isn’t enough, prompting them to simply make up fake sources and quotes. Is it out of laziness? For lack of ambition or creativity? I certainly can’t explain it. I have always been disturbed by cheating – not just the act of doing it, but showing absolutely no remorse or even displaying pride and accomplishment after the fact. It was so common to see people do it in high school, though, that I am not entirely surprised at how it has come to permeate college campuses – specifically, journalism schools.

Is there a way to fix this, or has it become the new norm? I believe there are several steps to a solution. First, journalists at major news outlets need to step up. With the 24-hour news cycle through Twitter and constant broadcast news channels, the new trend is to be first – but not necessarily to be right. People report the first inkling of news they hear, without backing it up or confirming it with legitimate, reputable sources. Thiscreates chaos, an endless rumor mill, and a lack of trust in journalism by all. By fixing the state of journalism in the professional realm, academia can only benefit as it follows suit.

Further, the subject of ethics needs to be stressed in schools before college. Sure, all schools have a code of conduct that says cheating is prohibited, and many colleges even mandate an ethics course to graduate. However, by teaching younger students the dangers and gravity of plagiarizing, citing past issues and dire consequences that could result – from career derailment to expulsion or even jail time – we can instill a sense of understanding in them that plagiarism is intolerant, unacceptable and inherently wrong before they even set foot on a college campus. It is like in Joseph Malines’ poem about a cliff: is it better to use a fence to prevent people from falling, or invest in an ambulance to care for them after they fall? Currently, school policies and academic hearings are serving as an ambulance to try and make students understand the consequences of their wrongful actions after they commit them. Why not stress the issue of ethics at a younger age, thereby building a fence to stop these problems before they even start on college campuses?

Reputation Management Proposal Analysis: Chris Brown

Our team, Second Chance PR, presented a three-step plan to revamp Grammy-winning recording artist Chris Brown’s tarnished image. Our pitch’s strengths included the simplicity, yet power of our plan. From having a basic, fundamental crafted apology at the ready for Chris to use as a basis for his responses in the media, to the presence of an interview assistant so he can vent and adequately prepare, to the idea of rebuilding Brown’s social media presence by implementing temporary “damage control,” our plan encompasses the important aspects of reshaping public perception in times of crisis. We focused on Chris’ undying success through his craft – music – and tried to play off the passion he has for it by creating a launch party for him to interact with fellow celebrities and fans in celebration and anticipation of his upcoming album, X. By tying this fun and exciting event with a worthwhile charity that is near and dear to Chris’ heart, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we were able to both promote his music and allow him to give back in a meaningful way. 

After observing the other teams, I would create a similar media element to add to our plan – similar to Pro PR’s idea for a Christopher documentary. I thought that was a great idea that would really resonate with fans and get the new and improved Chris Brown’s message across in a direct, yet entertaining way. I would also consider naming specific, measurable objectives like Pro PR and Elite PR did, in order to put a number on the qualitative goals we presented in our plan. However, I would stick to our charitable donation plan through the launch party – I felt that that was a major strength, and something that would be much more effective for Chris himself than trying to force him to do community service in a park or in a school, something he has notoriously had trouble with in the past. I also believe our idea of social media control is not too overwhelming. While the other teams insisted they would allow Chris to maintain control while implementing their plan, I feel that our proposal of temporary control for the time being would be an easy, direct way to show Chris directly how to revamp his social media image. It’s not that we would be dictating everything forever; we would simply craft some examples of acceptable and exciting tweets, in the voice of Chris himself, in order to get him back on the right track.  

I believe our plan has the emotional appeal to fans that is necessary to get Chris to an even higher level of success and ultimately respect in the public eye – our video showcased that emotion. I feel that our Second Chance PR team should be the winner due to the all-encompassing simplicity and potential of our proposal – we get straight to the heart of the matter in getting Chris’ limelight back to where it really belongs – back to the music.

Social Commerce: A New Approach to PR

Today our class heard from two communications professionals from the W2O Group: Haifa Barbari, director of digital strategy and account, and Kieran Fagan, group director of corporate and strategy. They spoke about the idea of social commerce – a relatively new concept in the communications field that involves using interactivity through digital media platforms to foster more effective relationships between businesses and their publics.

Several key points of the discussion stood out to me in terms of the value social commerce brings to the field of public relations today. First was Kieran Fagan’s point about the increased importance of writing. There is a misconception in the field today that writing is no longer a crucial skill, due to the shortened format of communications and nontraditional trends we are seeing. However, Kieran made a great point: writing, if anything, is even more of a major skill today than ever before. The channels and tools are useful, but the content is what matters. Writing is a reflection of thinking and problem-solving ability, so being a good writer is absolutely critical as an upcoming public relations professional.

Another major point that was discussed is the incorporation of analytics to corporate PR efforts. By zeroing in on key search terms and matching them up with content production, we can narrow the gap between customer and company. It is critical to make content user-friendly and “findable,” too. Sephora does a great job of this by making products easily visible to actively searching customers. The application of analytics to traditional PR will determine the success of modern businesses in this ever-evolving era of social media and digital strategy. By using data to observe what’s working and what’s not, we can tweak and improve content to better serve customers and better build relationships over time.

A final takeaway from our guest speakers is one involving crisis communications. Haifa Barbari stressed the importance of assessing a situation as it arises. She emphasized the importance of NOT reacting immediately without thinking it through first. It is too easy to make a mountain out of a molehill when it comes to social media feedback. If one blogger or tweeter is ranting a slew of concerns, it is better to isolate the issue and react privately when possible, rather than making a small blip into a major reputation crisis on multiple platforms. There is no cookie cutter way to respond to a potential crisis in the digital age; every situation is customizable and must be looked at in a detailed light before crafting the appropriate response.

Social commerce is full of new and exciting ways to interpret data and apply it to public relations efforts. However, despite all of these analytics tools and data-based research methods, the root of the message remains important. Word-of-mouth is still powerful, writing is still important, and it is still crucial to be a reactive listener and an interactive participant in the conversations between company and constituents.

Groupon CEO Andrew Mason's Firing Memo: An Analysis

After reading Andrew Mason's clever, quirky and surprisingly frank announcement regarding his firing, I felt somewhat refreshed. As a corporate big shot in the all-too-often stuffy and gray business sphere, Mason found just the right balance of honesty, sincerity, and quirkiness in his take on an internal memo. Groupon is a forward-thinking, modern company with a lot of creativity at its core. Thus, communicating his own departure with a healthy dose of that creativity and acknowledging his own faults seems like a perfectly fitting way to go out. If the reason for Mason's departure had been some major internal scandal or legal issue, this would be a different story.

However, in the modern business world, it is no secret that everything revolves around the bottom line. This appears to be a simple case of a once-sucessful co-founder/CEO who made some wrong turns as a businessman and suffered the consequences in the form of his company's financial failure and demotion on the corporate spectrum. Rather than beat around the bush or pretend that he "resigned," Mason got straight to the point, which gave him a stronger platform to explain himself. Most employees would rather hear the truth than a bunch of succession jargon anyway, so by starting off with a blunt delivery of the news, perhaps Mason gained their trust, respect or at least time to hear him out. Throwing in expressions of his gratitude, his hope for the company and some advice -- while keeping his message relatively concise -- gives a more human side to the suit and makes employees realize he really does (and did) care. For this company and this situation, I definitely think Mason made a smart, albeit bold, move.

Tweeting the message was definitely a nontraditional channel of internal communication, but I liked that Mason figured "it would be leaked anyway" and decided to open it to public eyes. Rather than seeming insincere, Mason exhibited a sense of transparency and honesty by communicating with the masses through Twitter. I think social media information sharing in the form of crisis communications will continue to grow as time goes on, but I believe many companies with more traditional or conservative business models will stick to strictly internal communication when it comes to succession issues, at least initially at the time of the announcement.

Newsworthiness

After examining several days of top news on both NYTimes.com and LATimes.com, I learned firsthand about the qualifications of newsworthiness in today’s media climate.

The New York Times, known for its widespread and somewhat elite, well-educated readership, focuses headlines on government affairs much of the time. From the nation’s budget to current Supreme Court cases, domestic affairs are a popular pick for front-page news. The New York Times has an international presence, so world affairs are also popular. This often encompasses global conflict with news of war-related deaths and nuclear power negotiations in the Middle East, but other issues, like the arrest of the Mexican Teachers’ Union and the election of the next pope, span top news.  The overall feel of the publication’s website is a serious, intellectual one, with hard-hitting, far-reaching news stories. There is less of a local or feature focus here than on smaller news outlets, but the website promotes interactivity with links to videos and other multimedia.

The LA Times is still a national-caliber publication, but its news coverage has more of a local feel. Headlines, rather than being about politics in D.C. or conflict overseas, focus on west coast events. News of violent Mexican drug cartels, drilling in the Alaskan Arctic, flu deaths in San Diego County and details of the Santa Cruz cop killer case all have a more regional feel than the New York Times headlines. Still, there is definitely overlap between the two publications, with headlines on the conflict in Syria and a prevalent Supreme Court case. The LA Times has a more approachable undertone on its website, with more feature-orientated content permeating the news front.

The number one requisite for newsworthiness that sticks out to me is the current nature of events. In the midst of today’s 24/7 news cycle, websites are constantly being updated and articles being added. Yesterday’s news is just that. Major crises or tragedies may stick around the front page for several days or even weeks depending on magnitude, but in general, for anything to be considered news, it must be timely. Another consideration is the publication’s audience. For politically-interested intellects reading the New York Times, covering top stories in Congress makes sense. For the casual daily reader in Los Angeles, news of flu deaths in the state of California is more pressing. Thus, as PR practitioners who pitch stories, we must cater to the needs and interests of the publication’s audience. 

While government and politics have always been a hot-button topic for news, today’s trends point toward international coverage. With increased U.S. involvement in a number of countries, ongoing conflict in the Middle East and occasional spurts of major news – like the Pope’s resignation – all occurring overseas, and with the power of the Internet to spread information like wildfire, domestic affairs have taken somewhat of a backseat in terms of top news on a daily basis. Again, depending on the readership of a publication, it might be more appropriate to take an international, national or regional approach to a story. Human-interest stories, or taking news stories and delivering them from an angle to which the average person can relate, are another popular trend in news today. Sports and celebrity news will always be popular, but in the state of today’s world, the timeliness and global impact of events are what make news, news. 

CEO Blog Review: Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks

Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, maintains a personal online presence on his blog at www.blogmaverick.com. I was surprised to note that in terms of content, Cuban doesn’t often cover the Mavericks organization as a topic on the blog. He is a prominent businessman and entrepreneur, and his posts cover a wide variety of topics that all tie into the business world at large, from the Facebook brand to the state of the stock market. Cuban writes in a candid, concise manner. Though his posts are sometimes lengthy, his sentences are short and the overall flow of information makes for a quick read. His tone is relatable and friendly, yet still professional. However, there is no shortage of grammar mistakes scattered throughout the posts. Though this almost proves (unintentionally) that he is actually doing the writing himself, it does not help improve his personal brand or that of his organization, of which he is a major representative.

In comparison to the general PR effort within the Mavericks organization, Cuban’s blog lacks continuity with his organization and feels sporadic content-wise. The team’s tweets and website content are, as expected, very sports-centric. They also interact with fans directly by responding to them and using hashtags. The color and content across the website and social media channels are consistent. Cuban’s blog covers a seemingly random range of topics -- they all relate to business, but are very unrelated to each other. The design is fairly straightforward and bland, with very few graphics or user-friendly features. He does occasionally use bold type to indicate key points in his posts, but they could benefit from some editing, graphics and subheads or bullets to make the content more appealing to the casual Internet user.

Despite the improvements that could definitely be made, Cuban has a solid following on the blog. Avid fans leave lengthy comments and frequently share posts on Facebook and Twitter. He keeps a fairly frequent presence on the blog for a major management figure, posting once every couple of weeks. Though for some, this might seem too infrequent to maintain a solid following online, his popularity and celebrity status allow him to go for weeks or even months without posting while still keeping a wide readership.

The pros of keeping a CEO blog are tangible, as fans of a brand can put a familiar face to a major corporation. It is somewhat refreshing to read simple, candid remarks from a major leader of the business world. However, the cons are far-reaching as well. Cuban’s blog does not align very well with the Mavericks organization as a whole. While this particular case is not necessarily a detrimental situation, it could easily become a problem in the future. There are risks to putting the face of a company out for the public to scrutinize in such a direct way online. Small grammatical errors are one thing, but sharing one offensive remark or off-color opinion can result in a major PR crisis. Overall, I think Mark Cuban does a decent job in keeping a CEO blog, but improvements could certainly be made. Perhaps having a PR professional edit or at least proofread posts before publishing would be a good start in order to ensure continuity across platforms from the CEO and the organization.

Eric Mower Speaker Series: Adrian Barrow of JWT (Extra Credit)

Last night, I attended another event as part of the Eric Mower Advertising Forum. Adrian Barrow, head of strategic planning at JWT, a major global advertising agency, spoke about the significance of art in advertising and strategic communication. I enjoyed hearing his thoughts and seeing real world examples of how powerful an impact art can make on consumers. Although I am not looking to go into advertising, I hope to pursue a career that involves strategic communications, so the idea of art as a medium to unite and persuade an audience was both interesting and relevant to me.

Barrow spoke of advertising’s dissemination of “information as persuasion” that ultimately leads to a positive change in consumer behavior. He stressed the need for not only cognitive or conscious persuasion, but also emotional persuasion – the subconscious kind that resonates with our personal thoughts, memories and feelings. By using art, advertisers can successfully “puncture the membrane of rationality and reason,” communicating a message in a way that touches the hearts and souls of those receiving it. Barrow explained the need to listen to one’s own intuition as a creator, because if you are not moved by something, chances are nobody else will be either. Just because a campaign “makes sense” doesn’t mean it will resonate with a target audience – there needs to be that “click” of inspiration that goes beyond rationality.

We saw examples of profound artwork that made a political or social impact, from Picasso’s “Guernica” painting to the popularized photo of Che Guevara. What struck me, though, was the power of even the simplest ideas. For example, this video on the origin of Britain’s infamous “Keep Calm, Carry On” poster shows how one concise message, laid out in a particular way as art, can be more profound than the most complex painting or photograph. This is important to remember in the practice of public relations, too. Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones.

What I really took away from Barrow’s discussion was the power of creativity in communications. He explained that art sneaks under our defenses, affecting us before we even realize it. Our brains process artwork as stories, so using art to get past the consumer barrier is an effective way to not only influence behavior, but also mindset (especially when it comes to branding!). I learned the importance of graphic design last semester in my graphics class, but now I see that art itself is truly an impactful way of getting a message across in the real world.