You may or may not have read by now that the Raleigh News & Observer dismissed veteran reporter Anne Blythe after an examination of more than 600 of her stories since 2016 “found at least a dozen that contained phrases, sentences or, in some cases, whole paragraphs, lifted from other publications.”
Though I’m based in Greensboro, I still consider the N&O my hometown newspaper and Blythe’s byline was a familiar one, considering she had been with the paper for more than 30 years. Needless to say this was surprising news, I wondered what could have possessed a veteran reporter–who was in the business way before easy access to information via the Internet was available—to begin lifting whole paragraphs from other publications? Obviously I don’t know the specific situation, but as someone who worked at a newspaper that cut and cut and cut payroll before finally shutting down, I’ll speculate, generally speaking. It’s no secret newspapers are bleeding–just the other day the New York Daily News cut its newsroom in half— including its editor in chief. So the reporters left behind are now worked to a frazzle, and with less editorial oversight. While plagiarism should never be excused, in this atmosphere the temptation is almost understandable.
But there’s a bigger issue. If you don’t think the mainstream media isn’t out to get President Trump, then you haven’t been paying attention. They’re trying to accomplish a monumental task—bringing down a president—but they’re trying to do it on the cheap. That’s only going to lead to more mistakes as reporters chase the shiniest objects flickering in front of them. (Admittedly the president’s tweets are one of those shiny objects.) So be careful, whether you still go out to to the sidewalk and pick up your print edition every morning (as I do) or simply turn on your device. The state of the media is only to going to get uglier, and it’s going to take an even stronger stomach to take it all in.
