Copycat Journalism!!!

We got this story from The Hoot. We are always worried for the plaigiarism in journalism. Copycat is a syndrome which always with journalism...but in the name of journalism it is a crime!

MediaYug

--------------------------------------------------------------

Over the past four weeks, one enterprising reporter at MetroNow has regularly lifted reports from the Hindu's Delhi edition. MetroNow's selling line is, "the stories you want to hear, the way youwant to hear them". Well, apparently the paper thinks people want to hear stories the way they appear in the Hindu. Over the past few weeks, one enterprising reporter there, Neeraj Pathak, has cheerfully lifted, more or less wholesale, three reports from the Hindu's Delhi edition, all done by the same reporter, Smriti Kak Ramachandran. The new compact paper which is a joint venture between the Times of India and the Hindustan Times reflects the ethics of the Times ofIndia, whose publications plagiarise from time to time. We wonder what the Hindustan Times and its editor think of all this. If they are quietly acquiescing, it does not say much for the ethics of HT either.

On May 17, 2007 a story by Kak Ramachandran titled, "Power distribution companies want to set up power plants" appeared in theDelhi edition of the Hindu. Its opening paras were, Left to shoulder the responsibility of procuring power for the consumers, the Capital's power distribution companies have written to the Delhi Government seeking permission to set up their own power generation plants. Distribution company BSES is the latest to seek permission to set up a 1,400 MW gas-based plant. Its North Delhi counterpart, the North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL), has been awaiting the Government's nod for the past three years to set up a power generation plant in the city.

On May 21 2007, Pathak filed a story for his paper which began: Realising that only power distribution business will not fill their coffers, the Capital's power distribution companies have written to the Delhi Government seeking permission to set up their own power generation plants. His second para read, BSES is the latest to seek permission to set up a 1,400 MW gas-based plant in Delhi. Its North Delhi counterpart, the North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL), has been awaiting the Government's nod to set up a power generation plant in the city for the past three years. Note the purely cosmetic rearranging here and there? The six paras which follow are almost identical to the Hindu story.

On May 22, the Hindu carried a story by Smriti Kak Ramachandran titled "Focus on water recycling." It said that to check the misuse of potable water, the Delhi Jal Board is envisaging a policy that will insist on recycling of water by industrial and commercial establishments. On May 23, 07 young Pathak sprang into action, with a story titled "Believe it or not DJB says it is serious about water wastage" which said, surprise surprise, exactly the same thing. His story even quoted the same NGO on the issue.

On June 4, 2007 Ramachandran filed another story for her paper which was carried in the June 5 issue. It was titled, "Delhi, Haryana lock horns over release of water." Not to be left behind, Mr. Pathak came up with a story titled "Haryana releases water, not enough says Delhi." Except for the first para the entire story was a verbatim lift of the one in the Hindu. This appeared in MetroNow the next day, June 6, 2007.

The Hindu reporter should probably save him the trouble of waiting for her stories by just copying everything she files, to him. And may be the Hindu can regularise the arrangement by charging a syndication fee. Though it would need to be an arrangement which allows different byline to be slapped onto the story!

Courtesy: www.thehoot.org