Plagiarism at the White House

Plagiarism is pretty darned low.  At the risk of getting admonished by Andrew for lack of a proper introduction, here's the scoop from CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A senior White House official admitted Friday that he copied large sections of another writer's work for an essay appearing in a Fort Wayne, Indiana, newspaper.

In an e-mail to The News-Sentinel, Tim Goeglein, special assistant to the president and deputy director of public liaison, apologizes, saying, "It is true. I am entirely at fault. It was wrong of me. There are no excuses."

Goeglein goes on to say he has reached out to the author, Jeffery Hart, whose 1998 writings in the Dartmouth Review he copied nearly verbatim.

"I have written to Jeff to apologize, and do so categorically and without exception," he said.

The White House press office provided the e-mail to CNN. Spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore said the White House was made aware of Goeglein's column and actions Friday morning.

"It's not acceptable," Lawrimore said. "And we're disappointed in Tim's actions."

Lawrimore would not speculate on whether the plagiarism would affect Goeglein's job at the White House, adding "we will certainly keep you updated as we learn more."

 

There is a world of difference between what I just did there (and what we do often) and plagiarism.  What I put in here from CNN is clearly attributed, with a verbal acknowledgement, a link back to the original content, and even a change in format to indicate that the material is from a different source.

In an age where information changes hands with incomprehensible speed and people react to reactions to reaction to the original content, it is more vital than ever that we give credit to the creator(s) of said content and make it clear what is original and what isn't.  Every instance of plagiarism calls into question the credibility of an entire industry.