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.