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?