CNN suspends Fareed Zakaria for plagiarism

[tuvor]

Source: Politico.com

CNN has joined Time Magazine and suspended Fareed Zakaria following his admission of plagiarism.

"We have reviewed Fareed Zakaria’s TIME column, for which he has apologized," CNN said in a written statement. "He wrote a shorter blog post on CNN.com on the same issue which included similar unattributed excerpts. That blog post has been removed and CNN has suspended Fareed Zakaria while this matter is under review."

Time Magazine suspended Zakaria earlier this afternoon after he admitted to plagiarizing an April article about the National Rifle Association by New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore.

"TIME accepts Fareed's apology, but what he did violates our own standards for our columnists, which is that their work must not only be factual but original; their views must not only be their own but their words as well," Ali Zelenko, Time's SVP of Communications, said in a statement. "As a result, we are suspending Fareed's column for a month, pending further review."

Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/08/cnn-suspends-fareed-zakaria-for-plagiarism-131695.html

[cosmicone]

1. How stupid of him ...

In this day and age with text comparisons on the web it is so easy to detect plagiarism!

[tabasco]

2. Had a co-worker journalist copy and paste my work

He was the editor's little darling and she did nothing because we worked for the same paper.

So, she said, it wasn't really plagiarism. I quit soon thereafter.

[secondwind]

3. hope he learns his lesson. nt

[McCamy Taylor]

4. The NRA went after him for content. So, this is not a happy ending.

CNN caved to the NRA.

[hack89]

5. It is clear that he plagarized - makes no difference who pointed it out.

I guess the lesson learned is that if you want to take pot shots at the NRA you had better make sure you hit your target the first time. It is not a game for amateurs.

[demosincebirth]

51. With the NRA, they give you plenty of amunition. You can Author a book about them

[hack89]

56. As long as you don't plagiarize your book, it's fine. nt

[demosincebirth]

57. Really?

[hack89]

58. I don't like people that plagiarize. It is stealing. nt

[primavera]

61. Well said - n/t

[tabasco]

6. Yes, it is.

A lying, plagiarizing piece of shit is exposed.

[trayfoot]

7. NRA much, tabasco????

[Posteritatis]

22. If he plagiarized, the person who pointed it out doesn't make it untrue.

He should have known better in the first place - as should anyone who does that who isn't still in high school.

[karynnj]

52. Exactly

I know that my kids' high schools gave F (zero) on a paper that plagerized. Anyone here knows how easy it is to find something by googling a sentence.

[marble falls]

27. Nailed it.

[tabasco]

39. Hows that? n/t

[tabasco]

36. Nope. Own zero firearms.

Got a nice compound bow.

Try again.

[marble falls]

26. Over the top. He admitted it so the lying part is out. And the "piece of shit" doesn't speak ...

to the plagiarism. This sounds personal.

[tabasco]

37. When you proffer work as your own and it is not,

THAT'S A FUCKING LIE.

[marble falls]

41. And he copped to it without "buts" or excuses.

[tabasco]

45. So what?

He's still a proven liar.

[marble falls]

78. Is Joe Biden a "piece of shit" and a "proven liar", too? .......

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history_lesson/2008/08/the_write_stuff.html

I think admission and a simple honest apology goes a long way to rehabilitation.

[Scootaloo]

54. it's Weiner Syndrome

Whenever a person has some sort of failing, DUers are first on the front lines to decry the person as a subhuman sack of shit who needs to be shot, run over, and dumped into a ditch.

[marble falls]

63. Describes my thoughts exactly.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

65. A bit if unfair hyperbole

What's wrong with demanding standards and principles, especially amongst our own? We're the party of principles and supposedly one of those principles is to not profit unfairly from the labor of others.

We don't betray them, they betray us.

[Scootaloo]

66. Because no standards are being demanded, Nuclear

What level are we elevating to by calling a guy a "piece of shit?" What principles does that fall under, exactly? Is that our standard?

No. "Standards" are not being "demanded," and stop trying to blow that smoke up people's ass.

What this is, is the same smug attitude tabloids play to. The joy - and it IS joy, make no mistake - of seeing someone famous "get theirs."

[Nuclear Unicorn]

68. You make fair points.

I do not agree with refering to someone as a POS just because I disapprove of some action they've taken. I try not to cast insults at anyone (I'm not perfect, though; I will admit).

But one person calling another person a POS over some incident does not excuse Mr. Zakaria from plagarism or any other past/present/future offense by anyone else. We have to define our principles and hold to them even when they hurt. Heck, if they didn't hurt I'd hazard a guess those principles wouldn't be worth holding.

That sort of honesty and candor wins far more votes than it loses and it's the lack of principles that feeds cynicism and disengagement.

[2on2u]

77. All he needed do was copy four paragraphs and add a link. It has worked for nearly

50 million posts that I know of.

[Equate]

8. So because it was about the NRA

the plagiarism is acceptable?
Just when you thought you'd seen it all.

[marble falls]

28. You don't think Tobasco at least went overboard?

[Equate]

29. He was expressing his opinion of someone caught plagerizing

how he expresses it is his business.

[marble falls]

42. Extremism in the prosecution of plagiarism is no vice?

[JackRiddler]

10. Did the NRA assist the Bush regime in launching a war of aggression?

If they didn't, then as bad as they are, they are pikers compared to Zakaria, an accessory to state crimes against humanity.

Fuck him. Fuck CNN too, of course.

[JackRiddler]

9. This media whore's career should have ended after he pimped the invasion of Iraq.

He chose to uphold the obvious state lie about WMD and made himself an accessory to aggressive war and the genocidal results.

Like so many others who supported the lie, this conventional power-conforming thinker was rewarded for being wrong. He got into the CFR and was made into an elite quasi-statesman, while many of the real journalists who were right about WMD and who did the right thing to speak out against the plans for war were punished.

So fuck him, and too bad this probably isn't the end of him -- or the end of TIME magazine, the American version of the Soviet encyclopedia of history, updated weekly.

[Equate]

11. LOL

You really need to quit holding back and tell us how you really feel.

On a more serious note, I couldn't agree with you more.

[zentrum]

15. Well done! n/t

[coalition_unwilling]

19. Bravo! Well said! - n/t

[Joe Bacon]

21. I wish I could recommend this 1,000,000 times.

Because he is your typical corporate stenographer. And you hit the nail right on the head with Time, it's just a propaganda rag for the corporate controlled conservative press.

[tabasco]

38. He was clearly a gutless coward.

Good riddance.

[flamingdem]

12. Zakaria is qualified as opposed to most bozos on CNN

I'm sorry this happened to him due to carelessness. It doesn't seem to be that earth shaking

[JackRiddler]

16. Qualified by what? His support for the worst crime against humanity of this century so far?

[magical thyme]

69. this didn't "happen to him." he was an active participant.

If there was an online version of the original, it looks as though he did a copy and paste, edited a couple words and claimed it as his own.

Lazy and intellectually dishonest.

It's easy to "cut and paste" others words into your writing. And acceptable with full attribution. You either edit it lightly to paraphrase, giving full credit. Or you leave it as a direct quote, again with full credit.

[flamingdem]

70. You're missing the point. He's considered to be NOT conservative

so the NRA and pro-Israel lobby jumped on this chance to discredit him.

Disgusting.

Plus, he's way better and more honest than any other reporter on CNN

He made the mistake of not being pro-Israel enough

[magical thyme]

71. you're missing the point. Plagiarism is not acceptable.

No matter whose side you're on.

What "happened" to him is he got called on it. If it was a case of him having read something years ago and accidentally regurgitating it, that would be forgivable. But this looks pretty blatant.

If he hadn't done it, they wouldn't have anything to go after him for. He handed his enemies a knife. Don't blame them for sticking it in him.

I'm sure if people on the other side had writing worth stealing, and somebody stole it, they would get called on it as well.

[flamingdem]

72. It's common to take notes and not always realize what is yours and anothers

this is how it is in the academic world. He got busted fine, but people don't have to degrade him over something so minor.

I'd look at the politics behind it, everyone can get taken down over some pecadillo, oh maybe YOU don't have any.

I have one - i HATE teachers who destroy the lives of students with over minor plagerism

[magical thyme]

73. not if you're a professional writer, especially journalist

If you are a professional writer your notes had better be meticulous. That includes your sources. Especially your sources.

I don't see anybody degrading him over something so minor. I see some people angry that he supported the illegal, immoral, unnecessary and destructive Iraq war, and seeing this as his just desserts.

And I see other people angry who have themselves been plagiarized by coworkers. I know I was repeatedly by somebody who was too lazy and inept to do her own work. Yes, it was work for hire so neither of us "owned" it. But she and her BFF, our group designer, plotted to get her newsletters designed and published ahead of my brochures and white papers, which she copied, deliberately making me miss deadlines and giving her apparent credit for my plagiarized writing.

I agree that students shouldn't have their academic lives destroyed over plagiarism. Nor should they get off lightly.

However, Zakaria is not a student and neither his life nor his career are destroyed. This is real work in the real world, for which he is extremely well compensated. He has a one month suspension. Even if he gets fired, he can and will recover.

[brentspeak]

13. Probably nothing new for Zakaria

Everything he writes appears to be verbatim from ALEC and the Business Roundtable, anyway:

http://www.fair.org/blog/2012/06/15/millionaire-pundit-public-sector-pensions-are-the-real-threat/

[suffragette]

34. Wow, was not aware of this

Thank you for posting it brentspeak.

Well worth reading Dean Baker's analysis of that as well:
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/fareed-zakaria-is-really-mad-about-public-pensions

[crimson77]

60. GPS is one of my favorite shows, I am disappoint.

[LovingA2andMI]

14. This is why CITING a reference, no manner how small....

Is important. All he had to do was CITE the TEXT back to the original article. Instead, he changed a couple of words and tried to OWN IT as his. Not acceptable and he deserved a suspension on this!

[Odin2005]

17. Meh, he is just another Neo-Liberal Globalist. I'm not sympathetic.

[davidpdx]

18. As I read through the thread it's amazing how many people openly bash him and

Last edited Sat Aug 11, 2012, 03:38 AM - Edit history (1)

almost root for him to fail. The comments were similar to those on Facebook coming from the right. That should tell you something.

As I wrote over on Facebook, I am disappointed with Zakaria but willing to forgive him. I don't always agree with what he says, but what he says often makes me think about the issues. I usually watch his show on Sunday night (here in Korea), but don't often read this columns. I suppose when he's replaced with Candy Crowely or Wolf Blitizer it will be much better.


Edit: For clarification purposes, I posted on Facebook as I have Zakaria on my "liked" list. Here is exactly what I said:

"I read an article about this before logging onto Facebook this morning. My first reaction was shock. I have long admired your work Fareed as it challenges me to think about so many different world issues. While I am disappointed, I accept your apology. I am a doctoral student and I think this is a teachable moment for not only journalists, but students as well as to how easy it can be to read something and not synthesize it in your own words. Often I am writing papers when I am tired, late at night and not fully rested. This will make me more cautious about the way I write and when I write. I trust you will recover from this with grace and hope that GPS continues on with you. It is the one of the few programs I actually turn on the television to watch these days. Know that there are many fans who will stand by you during this difficult time."

[just1voice]

20. Oh, you wrote it on facebook so it must be important, LOL

CNN is propaganda. Here's a definition of propaganda to exemplify, just replace the word "propaganda" with "CNN News" and see how precise it is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda

--Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. Propaganda is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the chosen result in audience attitudes.

As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda, in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus possibly lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda. Propaganda can be used as a form of political warfare.--

[davidpdx]

24. The reason I wrote that on Facebook is I happen have "liked" his page and it came up on my feed

Something you obviously know if you use Facebook and "like" pages. I also scrolled through and read about a hundred of the comments. Generally speaking they were running about 90% supporting him.

While I agree most of what is on CNN has on is not worth watching, Freed is one of the exceptions. Given I'm overseas, travel and interested in what is going on in the world I enjoy the topics he talks about.

I will restate again so you can understand it, if people want to bash him just because they have differing views go ahead. It just makes you a close minded person for doing so.

[JackRiddler]

31. Like PR is supposed to, your plug for Zakaria evades the point.

He was one of the key journalists in pimping the Iraq war lies, and was rewarded for it.

He is a stenographer to power, wrapping right-wing and interventionist politics in an intellectual guise.

Now he's been caught for a relatively minor offense. Tough shit.

[davidpdx]

32. It wasn't PR it was a response to another poster

Which had absolutely nothing to do with you. Go back to the hole you crawled out of.

[JackRiddler]

43. PR doesn't have to know it's PR.

Whether you're doing it instinctively or whether you're mindlessly repeating some that you heard, functionally it's PR.

You are avoiding the central point. Zarkaria did the unforgivable. He pimped a war of aggression. He is a stenographer to power. He may be a really smart guy - so what? Lots of whores are smart.

[davidpdx]

44. He apologized and is taking the punishment get over it

You seem to be the one who is obsessed by it.

[JackRiddler]

46. Oh really, did he apologize for facilitating a war of aggression?

Sorry, apology not accepted.

Plagiarism? Small potatoes by comparison. Of course he's been a kind of copy cat all along - which is to say, a faithful stenographer to power.

And very sorry if you're so confused that you think having a memory and a sense of right and wrong constitutes "obsession." You're the one defending a low and vile media whore who has only now received a tiny portion of what he deserves.

[JackRiddler]

59. The subject of the thread is Fareed Zakaria.

An epic fraud long before he was caught plagiarizing a couple of paragraphs.

[harmonicon]

23. CNN and TIME have standards?! Jesus... who knew?! (nt)

[Honeycombe8]

25. When I read the two paragraphs, I don't regard this as a big deal.

The paragraphs are similar, it's true, but they don't represent thoughts and ideas. They merely state a list of facts and statements from THE book on gun control. It would've been difficult to relay those same facts and statements without wording it similarly to the Time mag. wording.

Still, it could have and should have been worded more differently. But not a big deal, to me. And I regard plagiarism as a serious matter.

[obamanut2012]

30. He committed textbook plagiarism

I've given students zeros for doing the same thing. He knew what he was doing.

[boppers]

40. He apologized.

Which means he also knew, or now knows, it was wrong.

[joeglow3]

67. I think you can drop the second part

I am guessing someone who makes a living in the media probably knows it is wrong to steal other people's work.

[boppers]

75. I think your assumption is wrong.

Plagiarism is insane, and rampant,

[joeglow3]

76. My assumption is 100% accurate

They know it is wrong. They just have no morals and don't give a shit.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

33. DU should start a plagiarism committee to destroy other journalists that do this... nt

[Beacool]

35. I like Fareed, so I'm disappointed that he resorted to plagiarism to make his point.

I hope that he learned his lesson and won't happen again. Here's to seeing him on CNN after the month is up.

[Brickbat]

47. There's no excuse for plagiarism. None whatsoever.

[AngryOldDem]

49. No, there isn't. It is not an "oops" moment when it occurs. n/t

[AngryOldDem]

48. Why do people who know better do this?

It is an unending mystery to me. They have to know that they WILL get caught.

"Reliable Sources" compared the two passages, and Zakaria's was almost a word-by-word lift.

I don't get it.

[1monster]

53. Plagiarism isn't always a conscious choice. Some folks read something and then later write on the

same subject. It is not unsual for very similar words, sentneces, and even paragraphs to result.

When I've written papers on subjects I've read about, I usually go back and look at what I've read in the past just to make sure that I haven't unwittingly written what others have before me. Once in a while, especially when I agreed with the original writer, I will find that my mind regurgitated nearly word for word a description, sentence, and even, on occasion, a whole paragraph.

At which point, I do some serious editing and rewriting... and I cite the original. I am aware of this tendency, so I check, but others may believe they are simply putting down their own thoughts.

[Ter]

55. Ok, I'll bite, what is plagiarism?

First I thought he had like three wives or something, but I can see from the replies this is clearly not what it means.

[JesterCS]

62. basically copying someone else's work word-for-word or

almost exactly word for word and same structure in the information.

in other words, being lazy

[cstanleytech]

64. Dont forget dishonest. nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

74. I love Fareed, but frankly I think his credibility is damaged to the extent that he cannot be....

an effective interviewer at this point. If he goes for the kill, which he can be very effective at, the interviewee will likely openly mock him. Who, in the media, has come back from this sort of thing? He's so damned intelligent, especially with regard to all things in the ME. This is very damaging to his credibility as a journalist.

"Suspension" = we're easing him out.