Journalist Fabricated Bob Dylan Quotes in Book

Writer/author Jonah Lehrer's dramatic ethical fall (see the July 10, 2012 blog post) now includes creating false quotes from legendary singer, Bob Dylan that were included in Lehrer's latest book, Imagine: How Creativity Works ("Jonah Lehrer, Caught Making Up Bob Dylan Quotes, Resigns from The New Yorker," New York Magazine, July 30, 2012). Then Lehrer proceeded to lie about his dishonest act when journalist Michael C. Moynihan questioned him about the source material for the quotes. Lehrer explained away the lack of a trail for the quotes by telling Moynihan that the material could be found in "unreleased footage" of Martin Scorsese’s documentary No Direction Home and other sources that don't exist. Lehrer has resigned his staff writer job at New Yorker.

Discussion Questions: 

1. Lehrer's credibility is seriously damaged due to his fabrication and lies. Are readers of his other books and articles going to suspect that his other writings may be totally or somewhat false? Why or why not?
2. Can Lehrer regain his credibility so that he can secure another job as a journalist? Or should he become strictly a fiction writer? Why or why not?
3. What should Lehrer do to atone for his deception, especially to the libraries, individuals, and groups that purchased some 200,000 copies of his latest book?

European Leader Accused of Plagiarism

While two Romanian academic panels agree that Prime Minister Victor Porta clearly plagiarized parts of his doctoral paper, the government-appointed National Ethics Council (NEC) says he simply didn't include footnotes and relied solely on a bibliography to cite sources ("Conflicting Verdicts on Romanian Prime Minister's Plagiarism," Nature, July 20, 2012). Porta is charging that the investigation is politically motivated, while his critics note that the entire committee of the NEC was replaced with new members in June by a Porta cabinet official after another government leader was accused of plagiarism.

Discussion Questions:

1. Should Prime Minister Porta resign if he is found to have plagiarized his doctoral paper by two of three investigative bodies? 
2. If he was found to have inadvertently omitted footnotes, should he be allowed to correct the paper and resubmit it while being able to keep his job?
3. Should a Prime Minister be held to a higher standard for academic integrity than any other doctoral candidate? Specially, if he was found to have been careless in citing sources, should he lose his PhD and his job?

Is Self-Plagiarism Ever Acceptable?

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and journalist Jonah Lehrer received recent criticism for reusing old content that they wrote themselves without acknowledging the recycling ("The Self-Plagiarism Scandal," Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, July 4, 2012). The article and accompanying audio file goes on to state that journalists like Lehrer are held to a higher standard to develop original content on a regular basis than creative artists like Sorkin. While Sorkin is known for catchphrases that are employed in his different television shows, Lehrer reproduced paragraphs of his writing in different publications without crediting himself.

Discussion Questions:

1. If you wrote the material, should you be able to reuse it? Or can you recycle it only if you cite yourself?
2. If you are getting paid for your writing skills, what would your employer say if you turn in a column or script that has recycled content? Does it matter how much of the material is being reused?
3. As a college student, should you be able to turn in one project to satisfy the requirements of two different classes? Why or why not?

Bachelor's Degree to Get Higher Pay Deemed Fraudulent

In hopes of getting a promotion and raise, a sheriff's officer in Volusia County, Florida directed other staff members to help him complete projects ("Volusia Sheriff's Lieutenant Demoted over College Course Cheating," The Daytona-Beach News-Journal, February 24, 2012). Brodie Hughes faced nine other work-related job-performance infractions in the past, but his most recent lapse in ethical judgment caused a demotion to deputy and a pay cut. Three sheriff's office employees submitted homework and papers in his name while on duty. Those staff members will avoid punishment since they were following orders of their supervisor.

Discussion Questions:

1. The demoted employee is still on the job according to the news article. How do you think you might feel about him continuing to work for the sheriff's office if you were one of the staff members that did his work? What if you were a deputy working with him? Would you be able to trust him to do his job, given his most recent job-related infraction?
2. This situation came to light when someone sent an anonymous letter to the sheriff's office outlining the unethical behavior of the former officer. Would you have the courage to speak up about this problem if you worked for the sheriff's office and knew what was happening? Would you worry that you might lose your job or face backlash from the officer if someone discovered you wrote the  anonymous note? Why or why not?
3. Take a look at the Volusia County Sheriff's Office Mission Statement at http://volusia.org/sheriff/mission.htm. There is a sentence that states, "The foundation of this organization is defined by its employee's honesty, moral standards, compassion, sincerity, and caring attitude." Is this organization going against it's stated mission by allowing this deputy to continue working for the office? Why or why not?

50 Cent Not Guilty of Copyright Infringement

Although both works shared a Newark, NJ setting and some phrases, a federal court judge determined that 50 Cent did not plagiarize author Shadrach Winstead's book, The Preacher’s Son – But the Streets Have Turned Me Into a Gangster in the rapper's 2009 movie and album, Before I Self Destruct ("Judge Dismisses Copyright Case Against 50 Cent," Rolling Stone, 23 September 2011). In a related case, 50 Cent decided to revise the title of his new movie to avoid litigation from Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe who wrote a 1958 novel with a similar title. Interestingly, Achebe refused a significant offer to allow the rapper to use the same title as his novel, Things Fall Apart.

Discussion Questions:

1. The U.S. Copyright Office notes that you cannot copyright titles of works, but some may fall under trademark law. Do you think that the Nigerian author of novel, Things Fall Apart could argue that if the rapper used the same title for his movie, people would be confused and not buy the author's book? Why or why not?
2. Are you surprised that 50 Cent decided to change the name of his movie even though the author refused the sizable settlement to allow the rapper to use the same title? Why or why not?
3. Do you think famous performers usually win lawsuits on plagiarism against lesser-known authors? Why or why not?

LimeWire Slapped with $105 Billion Filesharing Fine

Thirteen music companies agreed to LimeWire's payment of $105 billion for "massive scale infringement" marking what seems to be the final chapter of the illegal filesharing service that closed in October 2010 (LimeWire Settles Filesharing Legal Battle for $105m, Guardian Newspaper (UK), 13 May 2011). In a field of peer-to-peer filesharing companies such as Grokster, Kazaa, and Napster, LimeWire was the last to fall for copyright infringement. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) claims that "U.S. recorded music sales fell to $7.7 billion in 2009 from $14.5 billion in 1999," due in large part to filesharing services like LimeWire.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think peer-to-peer filesharing services like LimeWire actually harmed music sales as the RIAA states? Or did filesharing actually serve to promote bands and singers, by getting their music to a large audience very easily?
2. Do you think other forms of entertainment like movies and video games actually cut into the profits of record companies? Where do you spend most of your entertainment dollars these days? Do you buy more video games than download music?
3. Do you think record companies give artists a fair share of revenues from music sales?
   

Caught Cheating? Take an Academic Integrity Class

Students at the University of Arizona can now take an academic integrity eight-hour workshop if they are at risk of failing a class due to cheating or plagiarism (UA Plagiarism Workshop Gives Offenders Second Chance, Arizona Daily Star, October 10, 2010). One hundred students will attend sessions this semester to provide practice on paraphrasing and summarizing and discuss the importance of academic integrity. Since 1999, reported cases of plagiarism at the university have risen 700 percent.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think you could benefit from a class that explains how to prevent plagiarism and cheating? Why or why not?
2. Do you think most students who cheat or plagiarize will return to doing so after taking this class? Why or why not?
3. Do you think most students don't know how to summarize or paraphrase information correctly because no one taught them?
4. Do your college professors provide instruction on how to cite sources correctly? Or do professors think that students should know how to prevent plagiarism by the time they enter college?