On the 1st December 2010 I published my article entitled Expatriate Residents Apathy to Voting : No Vote, No Right to Complain! and as I do often circulated a link to it to a few readers including some local newspaper editors and reporters
One of the local English papers (Not the Euro Weekly whose Editor kindly left a comment on the article) has published on the internet and in the printed publication an article about residents registering to vote in the forthcoming local elections. As I'm reading the article published over 10 days after mine I am thinking to myself several passages seem very familiar to me. Then two particular expressions stood out, 'no vote, no right to complain' and ' complain vociferously' so I decided to investigate this further.
What I've found is that several passages from my article have been sprinkled around the paper's article. None of them attributed as quotes from myself or reference made to my weblog as the original source.
These are the passages I found copied. Well I say copied as it could be pure coincidence that the writer came up with the same wording as me couldn't it?
My Blog Article: No Vote, No Right to Complain!
Local Paper's Article: No vote, no right to complain
Blog: Expatriate Residents Apathy to Voting
Paper: expatriate apathy to voting.
Blog: In the elections in May 2007 there were only 3500 Orihuela Costa residents registered to vote out of a population in the region of 27000; that was just less than 13%. It is a fact that since 2007 many expatriates have returned to their home countries so the meagre 3500 will have without doubt reduced in number.
Paper: in the elections in May 2007 there were only 3500 Orihuela Costa residents registered to vote out of a population in the region of 27000; that was just less than 13 percent. It is a fact that since 2007 many expatriates have returned to their home countries so the meagre 3500 will have without doubt reduced in number.
Blog: very ready to complain vociferously about the failings .... to do something about it and put their vote where their voice is!
Paper: very ready to complain vociferously about the failings ..... to do something about it and put their vote where their voice is.
Blog: If you don't vote, and don't get what you want, don't complain afterwards
Paper: if you don't vote, and then don't get what you want, then you can’t complain afterwards.
So, I think that I've been plagiarized, and I didn't feel a thing! Well my work really, not me physically.
What I cannot get right in my mind is whether I should be indignant or proud, or both. It's a compliment to be copied isn't it? Isn't it polite to ask before copying someone else's work? Isn't it the norm to give a link or reference to the source of material? Shouldn't those passages have been shown as quotes by me? Does it really matter?
I'm falling on the side of pride at this time, taking it as a compliment, but if it happens again perhaps I might become indignant.
If anyone reading this is a writer what do you think? Is plagiarism acceptable or are there boundaries?
Wednesday 15 December 2010
2 comments:
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Elliot compared to you I´m a novice blogger, and this week I was plagiarized too. I absolutely agree with you that there are boundaries. It would be polite to seek the author´s approval to use material, important to acknowledge sources of information, ideas etc. via a reference or a link & certainly etiquette to place direct quotes in parenthesis. However Elliot, I have considered the matter & as my aim is to publicise the shoddy way folks in Orihuela Costa are being treated by the PP Council, I am prepared to waive pride & indignation in the interests of the dissemination of the information to a wider public & to feel flattered! I have a feeling that next time you will be acknowledged!
ReplyDeleteElliot, to quote from one is plagiarism;
ReplyDeleteto quote from many is research!