Plagiarism Beyond the University
CBC reports that Stephen Harper has been accused by the Liberals of plagiarizing the speeches of Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, and of the American President, George Bush (read the CBC story here)
Within the boundaries of our academic world, there are clear definitions of plagiarism by which we are all expected to abide. But do we live in a culture where respect for intellectual property no longer exists? Have we become complacent about the theft (or at the very least, lack of attribution) of other's words and thoughts, or has our culture changed in such a way that these values are antiquated and no longer applicable? What, if any, are the implications of absolving ourselves of crediting the work of others and passing it off as our own in the non-academic world?
Comments
I think there is more ignorance than there is disrespect. When I have asked my students about what they can download from the Internet and use in the classroom or elsewhere, a large majority say that if it is on the Web, it is in the public domain. That, of course, isn't the case at all, but it does seem to be the presumption.
The Harper plagiarism case is quite different, but just as important. The kind of thing that happened with the Prime Minister is actually an excellent opportunity to raise these issues, and perhaps even educate a misinformed public.
Posted by: Richard Schwier | October 1, 2008 09:28 AM
Education about the fact that copyright material may be on the web would seem to be very important.
Politicians ripping off speeches is not new. The US Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden did the same thing a few years ago:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1048511/Obama-picks-senator-stole-Neil-Kinnocks-speech-running-mate.html
Posted by: Andrew Robinson | October 1, 2008 10:02 AM
I wonder...from what university did Harper's speech writer come?
Posted by: Liv Marken | October 1, 2008 12:18 PM