Posted on 07/02/2006 5:26:36 AM PDT by publius1
Conservative scribe Ann Coulter cribbed liberally in her latest book, "Godless," according to a plagiarism expert.
John Barrie, the creator of a leading plagiarism-recognition system, claimed he found at least three instances of what he calls "textbook plagiarism" in the leggy blond pundit's "Godless: the Church of Liberalism" after he ran the book's text through the company's digital iThenticate program.
He also says he discovered verbatim lifts in Coulter's weekly column, which is syndicated to more than 100 newspapers, including the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Sun-Sentinel and Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle.
Barrie, CEO of iParadigms, told The Post that one 25-word passage from the "Godless" chapter titled "The Holiest Sacrament: Abortion" appears to have been lifted nearly word for word from Planned Parenthood literature published at least 18 months before Coulter's 281-page book was released.
A separate, 24-word string from the chapter "The Creation Myth" appeared about a year earlier in the San Francisco Chronicle with just one word change-"stacked" was changed to "piled."
Another 33-word passage that appears five pages into "Godless" allegedly comes from a 1999 article in the Portland (Maine) Press Herald.
Coulter did not respond to requests for comment.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
The company that did the analysis (iParadigms) is run by a Moveon.org operative. Please do your research on the background of the people mounting the attack before you attack Miss Coulter.
It would seem to be a good idea for all authors and publishers to run their stuff through plagiarism detection software.
Even high school teachers have access to this stuff. You have the kid submit his paper directly to the company online. They then email an assessment to the teacher telling the percent of suspcious text and marking those sections. Every paper submitted by a kid becomes a new part of the data base, so if you hand off a paper to a sibling or friend, they will be busted. There are also services online that allow kids to buy papers on any topic. But using plagiarism software would limit the number of times a paper could be sold.
I remember once in college taking verbatim notes on an index card (ah, the good old days before computerized cut and paste) and then paraphrasing it in my paper. When I did a final reading of it (done on a typewriter, of course), I again reworded what I wrote. I managed to duplicate some of the original text since it sounded better.
While looking for something else in the index cards, I found that very familiar chunk of text. Would that be plagiarism? The prof probably wouldn't have caught it, but such things can happen. And these days, it is so easy to grab text that sometimes you forget to note where it came from.
That's why everyone should check their stuff since the software is available.
There has actually been a judicial decision on this. Rocker John Fogarty (remember Creedence Clearwater Revival?) was accused of copying, in a new song, the style and content of one of his older songs for Creedence. The case came to trial because copyright on the older work was now owned by a different media conglomerate from the one owning the new work.
The jury decided that no such concept of self-plagiarism existed.
Thanks for the info. I always thought self plagerism was a silly notion.
I wonder what popular liberal books he has run through his software.
More on IParadigms...
http://www.sensiblepriorities.org/ads/nyt_ad_pressrelease.php
Steven
Berger,
Chairman,
IParadigms, LLC
San Francisco
CA
New Ad Calls Katrina Dead "Another Casualty Of The War In Iraq"
BUSINESS LEADERS TO BUSH: "BRING THE TROOPS HOME, REBUILD AMERICA"
A new full page print ad signed by more than 100 CEO's and other business people calls Hurricane Katrina's toll of lost lives and property "another casualty of the war in Iraq." The ad, slated to run in tomorrow's New York Times, calls on the President to stop the loss of lives and resources in Iraq and redirect his efforts towards rebuilding America.
Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, the ads sponsor, cites federal government failures due to wrong priorities: budget cuts that undermined hurricane protection projects around Lake Pontchartrain; flood prevention projects in New Orleans; the gutting of FEMA; and the absence of one half of Louisiana National Guardsmen who were serving in Iraq.
Signers include Ben Cohen, Co-Founder Ben & Jerry's, Alan E. Kligerman, CEO, Akpharma Inc., and Seth M. Glickenhaus, Senior Partner of Glickenhaus & Co.
Steven
Berger,
Chairman,
IParadigms, LLC
San Francisco
CA
(Yawn) Just another liberal butt-wipe with a grudge.....
Well if Coulter did plagerize that of course means that there are others (probably many others) who agree with what she has to say. ;-)
In that the article does not provide adequate specifics to backup Barrie's allegations, I'm left to choose between believing in Coulter's integrity or that of a pack of rabid, fuming, irrational liberals led by a guy who's hawking a software product of dubious merit.
Let me think....
Well heck, I didn't think they were loyal members of the Ann Coulter Fan Club. Regardless of their funding or their motivation, either the charges are true or they aren't. Either way it isn't going to hurt Coulter's sales or damage Coulter's reputation among the faithful. She might get sued but those she copied from if the charges are true, but that's about it.
The NY Post writer philip.recchia@nypost.com should be asked why he's using a San Francisco company that is run by a Moveon.org operative as his only source for this story.
Pretty sad that Moveon.org is setting the agenda for the NY Post these days.
Well if the stories are lies, as you seem to think they are, then the truth will come out soon enough. Long after this charge has faded away. I give it about a 24 hour lifespan in the media.
Why are you so willing to trust a Moveon.org operative? Are you affiliated with them?
Nope. But if they're lying then it's kind of stupid of them since it's such an easy lie to disprove. If their claims are false then the truth will come out.
He's just a renown, sagacious arbiter of all things pertaining to Truth & Fairness.
It's just surprising that someone would would take as gospel the accusations of a Moveon.org operative. Distortion, lies and smears are Moveon.org's stock in trade.
People with too much time on their hands.
"the story gets Coulter and plagarize in the same sentence. Thats probably all they really wanted."
Coulter is being Limbaughed.
Some FReepers use a microscope in examining Conservatives while manifesting their own blindness to the wiles of the Left.
Next: Ann Coulter's first grade teacher tells all! Hear the sordid details about the time 6-year-old Annie wet her pants after nap time! See the pictures of her swinging on the jungle gym and showing her knickers, while the boys sing "London, London, I See France." Watch as she breaks down in tears and demonstrates her finely honed mean-spiritedness by calling Jimmy Reynolds a "poopy head dumb butt."
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