Plagiarism, the Disease
New media has made it easy to access and share information to a wide audience. This was taken to be the best thing to happen to a new generation of journalists who were no longer barred by distance in terms of getting and sharing information.

Plagiarism has become the order of the day when many journalists are sharing information in a manner that is not ethical. When a journalist is guilty of plagiarism, a lot of questions are raised on the credibility of the stories done by the reporter.

In such an event, the name of the media organization, despite enjoying wide readership or viewership, will not protect a journalist’s name. Fareed Zakaria’s case is one such example. He lost his job with a prominent media organization and many are on his neck upon realization that a number of his stories are plagiarized.

Creativity is a vital ingredient that can be used in fighting plagiarism. It is important to identify our uniqueness and work hard to move up the success ladder in the media industry. Plagiarism limits one in that the story filed is not original hence no urge to go out and get sources and stories that will see one rise.
Plagiarism, like cancer, is a disease that eats into one slowly but kills quickly. For a first timer, it may seem small and the guilt may not be enough to make one regret but the consequences can cost one his career.

http://theweek.com/articles/442125/three-major-publications-have-acknowledged-plagiarism-by-fareed-zakaria-does-cnn-have-no-shame