Plagiarism

and journalism ethics

Danilo Araña Arao

Associate Professor of Journalism
UP Diliman
 Discussion Outline
 What is plagiarism?
 Common types
 Examples
 Avoiding plagiarism
 What is ethics?
 The Philippine Journalist’s Code of Ethics
 Identifying, solving some ethical dilemmas
 Case studies
 Conclusion
Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 2
 What is plagiarism?
 Plagiarize – “to use and pass of (someone
else’s ideas, inventions, writings etc.) as one’s
own” (The New Lexicon Webster’s Dictionary
of the English Language, 1990, p. 767)
 Plagiarism – “the act of using another
person’s words or ideas without giving credit
to that person” (Merriam-Webster app)
 First use: 1621

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 3

 Common types (from Bowdoin College Brunswick)

 Direct plagiarism – copying a section

of someone’s work without citing the
source
 Self plagiarism (also auto plagiarism)
– using one’s previous work and
passing it off as “original”

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 4

 Common types (from Bowdoin College Brunswick)

 Mosaic plagiarism (also patch

writing) – citing a source without
quotation marks and changing certain
words or phrases while keeping the
source’s original structure intact
 Accidental plagiarism – neglecting
citation of sources, misquoting or
irresponsibly paraphrasing sources
Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 5
 Examples
(used as case study with permission from photographer Raymund Villanueva)

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 6

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 7
 Other examples
 Please watch the two videos…

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 8

 Avoiding plagiarism
 Proper citation of sources
 Complete
 Accurate
 Use of direct and indirect quotes
 Proper paraphrasing of ideas
 Respect for intellectual property rights

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 9

 What is Ethics?
 Moral philosophy or moral science
 Branch of philosophy which studies
the principles of right or wrong in
human conduct
 Moral principles which determine the
rightness or wrongness of particular
acts or activities

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 10

 The Philippine Journalist’s
Code of Ethics
 Distributed by the
Philippine Press
Institute to
newspapers so
publishers can promote
its observance
 Reprinted from the
Philippine Journalism
Review

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 11

 The Philippine Journalist’s
Code of Ethics
 I shall scrupulously report and
interpret the news, taking care not
to suppress essential facts nor to
distort the truth by omission or
improper emphasis. I recognize the
duty to air the other side and the
duty to correct substantive errors
promptly.

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 12

 The Philippine Journalist’s
Code of Ethics

 I shall not violate confidential

information on material given
me in the exercise of my calling.

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 13

 The Philippine Journalist’s
Code of Ethics
 I shall resort only to fair and
honest methods in my effort to
obtain news, photographs and/or
documents, and shall properly
identify myself as a representative
of the press when obtaining any
personal interview intended for
publication.

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 14

 The Philippine Journalist’s
Code of Ethics

 I shall refrain from writing

reports which will adversely
affect a private reputation unless
the public interest justifies it. At
the same time, I shall fight
vigorously for public access to
information, as provided for in
the Constitution.
Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 15
 The Philippine Journalist’s
Code of Ethics

 I shall not let personal motives or

interests influence me in the
performance of my duties; nor
shall I accept or offer any
present, gift or other
consideration of a nature which
may cast doubt on my
professional integrity.
Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 16
 The Philippine Journalist’s
Code of Ethics

 I shall not commit any

act of plagiarism.

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 17

 The Philippine Journalist’s
Code of Ethics

 I shall not, in any manner,

ridicule, cast aspersions on, or
degrade any person by reason
of sex, creed, religious belief,
political conviction, cultural and
ethnic origin.

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 18

 The Philippine Journalist’s
Code of Ethics
 I shall presume persons accused of
crime of being innocent until
proven otherwise. I shall exercise
caution in publishing names of
minors and women involved in
criminal cases so that they may not
unjustly lose their standing in
society.

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 19

 The Philippine Journalist’s
Code of Ethics

 I shall not
take unfair
advantage of
a fellow
journalist.

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 20

 The Philippine Journalist’s
Code of Ethics

 I shall accept only such tasks as

are compatible with the integrity
and dignity of my profession,
invoking the “conscience clause”
when duties imposed on me
conflict with the voice of my
conscience.

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 21

 The Philippine Journalist’s
Code of Ethics

 I shall conduct myself in public

or while performing my duties
as journalist in such manner as
to maintain the dignity of my
profession. When in doubt,
decency should be my
watchword.
Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 22
 Solving ethical dilemmas
 Remember five basic principles of the
practice of journalism (Lambeth)
 Truth-telling
 Justice
 Freedom
 Humaneness
 Stewardship

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 23

 Solving ethical dilemmas
 Remember three ethical commands
(Poynter Institute)
 Seek truth and report it as fully as possible
 Act independently
 Minimize harm

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 24

 Be wary of…
 Infotainment
 focus only on the “quotable quotes;”
 main objective is to entertain
 prioritizing form over content
 Stealth advertising
 aka product placement

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 25

 Be wary of…
 “Praise” releases
 one-sided report, all praises
 “Telenovela” reporting
 abangan ang susunod na kabanata…
 permutation of “he said, she said”
reporting

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 26

 Things to watch out for
 Observance of proper use of English or
Filipino language
 e.g., grammar, syntax and diction
 Avoid name-calling, mudslinging
 Do not use rumors, unverified
information

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 27

 Case studies

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 28

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 29
Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 30
 Check your facts, please!

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 31

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 32
 Questions to ask
 Why do I write?
(Personal vs Political)
 How will my readers
benefit from the data
and analysis I will
present?

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 33

 Conclusion
 Practice of Ethics based on one’s
conviction
 Consistency in one’s ethical
standards based on one’s continuing
commitment
 Judgment calls should be hinged on
objective social conditions

Prof. D. A. Arao DepEd NTOT (11 Dec 2017) 34

Thank you for your attention

risingsun.dannyarao.com