Media News South Africa

A discussion on plagiarism: maintaining the integrity of your agency

In light of the recent 'lack of sourcing' scandal that took place within the prestigious offices of The Daily News in New York, a discussion on plagiarism could not occur at a more appropriate time.

Lambasted for copying a number of sections from an article that was published by The Daily Beast only a few days before, Shaun King (Senior Justice Writer for The Daily News) quickly became a social pariah by having his integrity and entire professional existence questioned. However, upon investigation, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper in question found that the person responsible for the final editing process of the article had removed King’s attributions from the original document – an unforgivable and irresponsible action that brought a popular and reliable newspaper into disrepute.

Although we may not be producing newspapers, the existence of digital marketing organisations is based on the same premise – to conduct research that provides an audience with interesting, relatable and unique content. However, in an industry where convergence and curation reigns supreme, how do we go about discussing plagiarism and the devastating effect that it could have on our agencies and industry? If we consider the permeability of social media and how attribution, sourcing and crediting is lost among the hundreds upon thousands of shares and reposts, we will notice the thin line upon which we balance when it comes to digital content marketing...

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About Chloe Holenstein

Reader of books, writer of words, human person. Sometimes strategist, oftentimes content marketing and SEO specialist. Forever in search of ripe avocados. I laugh at my own jokes.
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