The San Antonio Express-News recently had an incident of plagiarism on its commentary pages. In a blog post on the topic, public editor Bob Richter wrote the following:
For the record, lifting another writer’s words is a cardinal sin of journalism. It’s a cardinal sin even if you’re not a full-time journalist, such as people who submit letters to the editor and other opinion pieces.
Express-News writers who plagiarize other writers’ work typically are summarily fired. In an era when nearly anyone can publish nearly anything — on blogs, personal Web sites and the traditional ways — newspapers and media Web sites must be ever vigilant against plagiarism.
It’s a good thing columnist Rick Casey moved from the Hearst-owned Express-News to the Chronicle several years ago. It doesn’t sound like his former employer would have handled his plagiarism quite like the Chron.
