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Plagiarism Alleged In Ann Coulter's 'Godless' Book
wizbangblog.com ^ | June 12, 2006 | Kevin Aylward

Posted on 07/06/2006 8:40:20 AM PDT by Nachum

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To: Nachum
Plagiarism is the theft of ideas. The 2nd case is clearly not plagiarism, and the use of the word saboteur is exactly the description of the event. To make an issue over it would be to accuse everyone in the English-speaking world of plagiarizing the first person who used "terrorist" to describe the perps of 9/11.

The 1st one is interesting in that it is nearly word-for-word with the Portland Press article with the exception of the past tense "was."

My question is this: if a reporter describes something that happens, and then it happens, is it plagiarism to say that X happened?

If I say: "My dog, who has been my friend for years, is dying.", and someone writes a follow-up on me, and says, "His dog, who has been his friend for years, DIED." is that plagiarism? Or is it follow-up of an already reported situation?

41 posted on 07/06/2006 9:03:05 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It. Supporting our Troops Means Praying for them to Win!)
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To: mbynack

Looks like Freepers have discredited Mr. Aylward in 30 posts. Congrats mbynack, you've pulled a mini-Buckhead. Good work!


42 posted on 07/06/2006 9:03:39 AM PDT by American_Centurion (No, I don't trust the government to automatically do the right thing.)
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To: Nachum

This is pretty weak if this is all they've got.

Next.


43 posted on 07/06/2006 9:05:28 AM PDT by proudpapa (of three.)
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To: Nachum

Screeew the left wing sandbaggers. They should be looking at honest Al Gore.


44 posted on 07/06/2006 9:05:54 AM PDT by hgro
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To: CSM; All

still....
but if someone does follow the rules, will they be accused of plagarized copyrighted images?


45 posted on 07/06/2006 9:07:09 AM PDT by jbp1 (be nice now)
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To: Nachum
Oh, b-rother.
46 posted on 07/06/2006 9:08:28 AM PDT by AnnaZ (I think so, Brain, but if we give peas a chance, won't the lima beans feel left out?)
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To: Nachum
This is much ado about nothing. "The massive Dickey-Lincoln Dam, a $227 million hydroelectric project proposed on upper St. John River, is halted by the discovery of the Furbish lousewort, a plant believed to be extinct" was line item #38 on Portland Press' Maine Stories of the Century: The Results.

To call that plagiarism is like calling Shepard Smith a plagiarist for saying "Have a good night" at the end of his show just because Wolf Blitzer says the same thing upon the closing of his own show.

This is ridiculous.

47 posted on 07/06/2006 9:09:49 AM PDT by jdm
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To: Nachum

The first one probably is plagiarism, of the same unintentional sort that bit Steve Ambrose in the butt: A quote is accidentally treated as a note the author or a research assistant wrote themselves.


48 posted on 07/06/2006 9:10:36 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback (Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof - Lev. XXV, v. X)
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To: Suzy Quzy
Townhall article they are quoting back to her as her own plagarism????

She wrote a column for them quoting from her new book that hadn't been published. The Portland newspaper quoted the Townhall article where Ann was quoting from her own book. The libs are going crazy accusing Ann of plagerizing her own book.

49 posted on 07/06/2006 9:10:39 AM PDT by mbynack (Retired USAF SMSgt)
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To: Nachum
Go after ANN and her career is over? If so, only because she is a republican. Want proof of the double standard - Why is Joe Biden still in office?
50 posted on 07/06/2006 9:11:53 AM PDT by excludethis
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To: Nachum

This is careful research (on Ann Coulter's part). If the book had even the slightest amount of deviation from the research, these very same rodent droppings would be criticizing her for deviating one millimeter from the original studies.

Nice try, "Kevin Aylward," if that is his real name.


51 posted on 07/06/2006 9:12:22 AM PDT by FormerACLUmember (No program, no ideas, no clue: The democrats!)
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To: Madeleine Ward; mbynack
Well, those who are trying to find these little examples of plagiarism better hope that no one goes sifting through their stuff.

You have to admit that mbynacks discovery that Coulter's being accused of plagiarising herself is a hoot! I hope someone does dig into these idiots articles.

52 posted on 07/06/2006 9:12:57 AM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
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To: Bikers4Bush
When you're speaking to incidents of fact there are only a few ways to phrase it.

Agreed. When writing academic or press stuff I've had to go through some real writing gymnastics to be in a safe zone. I guess I'm good at tit though, the semester I took rhet and Comp II I was the only person in any of my professor's classes that didn't have a gray area or worse in their first draft.

53 posted on 07/06/2006 9:13:24 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback (Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof - Lev. XXV, v. X)
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To: AnnaZ

It's easy to bash a book of one hasn't read it. Ignorance knows no bounds as in the case of liberals who refuse to either read the book or admit that their ox has been gored to bleed out status.


54 posted on 07/06/2006 9:13:24 AM PDT by Racegun
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To: jdm

Note that this was extracted from Townhall. The original Townhall article was written by Ann Coulter. She was quoting from the book she was writing.


55 posted on 07/06/2006 9:14:14 AM PDT by mbynack (Retired USAF SMSgt)
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To: Mr. K
I mean look at the rest of the book- why would she quote hundreds of sources, and then plgerize these two statements?

For this very reason, it will damage her as much as Steve Ambrose was damaged by his unintentional plagiarism.

56 posted on 07/06/2006 9:14:53 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback (Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof - Lev. XXV, v. X)
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To: Mr. K
I mean look at the rest of the book- why would she quote hundreds of sources, and then plgerize these two statements?

For this very reason, it will damage her as much as Steve Ambrose was damaged by his unintentional plagiarism. In other words, it means zilch.

57 posted on 07/06/2006 9:15:07 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback (Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof - Lev. XXV, v. X)
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To: Nachum

The link to the story no longer works.

http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/anncoulter/2006/06/06/199800.html

I wonder if it's just because townhall recently revamped its web site. The link is only one month old (exactly).

Or.... is Coultergate impending? /sarc


58 posted on 07/06/2006 9:20:13 AM PDT by jdm
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To: xzins

"To make an issue over it would be to accuse everyone in the English-speaking world of plagiarizing the first person who used "terrorist" to describe the perps of 9/11."

Now we know why the MSM fails to use the word "terrorist" and prefers insurgent. They don't want to be accused of plagerism. Whew, for a while I was questioning their patriotism.


59 posted on 07/06/2006 9:20:20 AM PDT by CSM ("Most men's inappropriate thoughts end as soon as the girl talks..." - Dinsdale, 5/30/06)
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To: Nachum

As one who has written professionaly, I can say this. BS!

If one wishes to offer a bit of information that has been written about before, there are two choices. The first is to directly quote. It is undesireable to do this to often.

The second is to rewrite the information using slightly different language. Which can be difficult since there are only a limited number of ways to reconvey the same information. Everytime an author does this he runs the danger of being charged with plagerism.

In both cases you stay out of trouble by footnoting the source of the information. This article make no mention of footnotes. Did she or didn't she. If she did, then this moonbat looked up her sources and tried to see how close she got. But as long as she sourced it, it doesn't matter.

In any case, plagerism is usually revolves more around "creative" writing rather than the relaying of factual information. And usually is not a charge leveled over a singel sentence, but over whole paragraphs and more.

This is a canard and does not even rise the level of the definition of "is".

This is smear piece by a jealous writer.


60 posted on 07/06/2006 9:21:22 AM PDT by PsyOp (Fear, not kindness, restrains the wicked – Metus improbos compescit, non clementia. – Syrus, Maxims.)
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