# Plagiarism in the news media **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240 "2016-06-01T15:46:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240/1 "2016-06-01T15:46:28Z")
No matter what website or paper you get your news from, you are going to find articles that are verbatim copies of things that were in CNN. I used to work as a reporter for a radio show, and our number one rule was to never plagarize. What is happening to journalism? Respected newspapers need to do more than CTRL-C ,CTRL-V to get stories. At least add your own pictures, or commentary, or something. If I wanted to see how CNN wrote something, I would go to their website. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240/2 "2016-06-01T16:53:17Z")
Often the newspapers subscribe to the CNN feed, so they have permission to use their stories vebatim. This isn’t new. It dates back to the AP and UPI. I remember papers back in the 60s that did the same. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240/3 "2016-06-01T17:30:43Z")
Yes, content off the “wire feed” and its latter day equivalents can be used straight up w/o it being plagiarism. In broadcast it IS however considered lazy and cheap to just do “rip and read”, and you are expected to give it at least a once-over if only to detect and avoid possible Ron Burgundy moments. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240/4 "2016-06-01T17:54:11Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > I used to work as a reporter for a radio show, and our number one rule was to never plagarize. I’m not sure how you could have worked for a radio station without understanding how news feeds work - and that they don’t constitute plagiarism. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240/5 "2016-06-01T18:52:54Z")
My station didn’t use any news feeds. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240/6 "2016-06-01T19:16:09Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > My station didn’t use any news feeds. So, you reported local news using your own reporters only? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240/7 "2016-06-01T19:24:10Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > My station didn’t use any news feeds. So no national or international news then? Or did your station maintain your own foreign and national bureaus? ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240/8 "2016-06-01T19:25:55Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So, you reported local news using your own reporters only? Yes. It was a community-run station. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240/9 "2016-06-01T19:28:38Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Yes. It was a community-run station. Well, for your information stations that actually report news that isn’t limited to snippets of local press releases use news feeds, and it is totally acceptable for them to do so. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240/10 "2016-06-01T19:28:44Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Yes. It was a community-run station. “And in local news, Frank Jackson of Thornapple road reportedly drew 22 gallons from his well this morning.” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240/11 "2016-06-01T19:36:06Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Yes. It was a community-run station. I guess that explains why you don’t understand the news business. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plagiarism-in-the-news-media/756240/12 "2016-06-01T20:44:47Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > “And in local news, Frank Jackson of Thornapple road reportedly drew 22 gallons from his well this morning.” I heard this, verbatim, on CNN.