IT IS DISHEARTENING to find that plagiarism again found its way to the pages of The Cavalier Daily. There is no need to dress up the disappointment, just to state it for what it is: a letdown.
Last Monday's Life column on down-to-there pants was an entertaining read on the problem with supposedly fashionable low-riders, which is to say, it presents viewers with a new kind of cleavage. Sadly, the article, which was a funny one, was not original. Or cited.
Slate.com's Amanda Fortini wrote on the same subject Oct. 10: "Gasoline, a Brazilian company, has even created Down2There jeans, which feature a bungee cord that allows the wearer to lower her pants as she sees fit, as though adjusting a set of Venetian blinds."
On the CD's Life page last Monday appeared:"Gasoline, a Brazilian denim company, recently came out with a style of pants called Down2There jeans, in which the wearer can pull a bungee cord up or down, adjusting the rise of her jeans as she sees fit. What is this, a window and a pair of Venetian blinds?"
Actually, it's plagiarism. In my second column (Sept. 8) as ombudsman, I confronted another writer's more egregious pattern of copying and said "if the staff takes the proper steps -- and from talking to them, it looks like they are -- this will not be a subject I'll have to confront in this space again."
Clearly the editors are not happy with this latest bout, which was committed by a first-year writer who may not have understood fully the rules behind citing. This is the only occasion this particular writer appears to have plagiarized, but it's one time too many.
The CD printed a retraction on the Life jump page Thursday, which means essentially it was buried. The writer in question has been let go from the staff. The Managing Board has planned to run an editorial this week explaining the steps that will be taken to prevent further mishaps. I look forward to reading that piece.
The problem here is that this new writer was not properly educated concerning plagiarism. One can't copy an idea and its support from another author without citing. It seems plain and simple.
The Board is now requiring all writers to attend a session explaining plagiarism and citing before writing any further articles. This is a good way to make sure that each and every writer understands what is OK and what is not with regards to citing, paraphrasing or plagiarizing. Unfortunately, that step can't completely thwart additional plagiarism. Sadly, plain old trust offers no guarantees. Two writers from a staff of 150 plus seems like a low ratio, but those two can undermine much confidence, and it can be difficult to reinstate it in the eyes of the audience.
One reader this week pointed out similarities between the CD crossword from Oct. 27 and one that appeared in USA Today Oct. 22. Both puzzles had the same long answers: "ten commandments," "twenty questions" and "thirtysomething." The clues accompanying the answers were similar though not identical.At first glance, this would seem to be yet another example of plagiarism; however, editor-in-chief Justin Bernick spoke with the creator of the CD crossword, who stated that he was unaware of the USA Today puzzle (and understandably worried about people thinking otherwise). According to the creator, it was a bizarre coincidence. Things like this happen sometimes, and although this particular incident might look suspicious, it doesn't necessarily mean that one is guilty.
A careless caption
Another reader wrote in this week to ask if a caption on a graphic accompanying a news story on Thursday was some kind of inside joke.Paired with a map showing where a black bear was popping up in town, the caption read: "The bear last blah a asik asdjj asjdk aska sdk sa dkjas dkja
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