Everyone lies, everyone cheats, and everyone steals—or at least takes. People who don’t engage in these sorts of behaviours are generally regarded as ‘good people’ because of the difficulty involved in avoiding them. But what happens in a business built on objectivity, honesty, and fairness? Journalism is the trade of information, and it is keen on keeping its information accurate and original. Yet journalists are still tempted to plagiarize, sensationalize, scandalize. Why?
One reason is the ease. Just as stealing something is a lot easier than buying it, plagiarized information strips an assignment of all the work involved. But just as buying an object with hard-earned money might imbue said purchase with a special value, writing ones own copy is the commendable route—even if the copy itself isn’t so good. For reporters who hate writing, stealing copy is a pain-free way to get the story done. It is also a surefire method to loose credibility and probably one’s career.
As for making up stories, reporters and writers know that sensationalism sells. There’s no greater sensationalism than the one the mind supplies. Crafting a fantasy is enticing for all the glamour breaking a story entails. Everyone would love to be Woodward and Bernstein, letting loose the yolk of tremendous news. Ethically, however, fabricating stories is a mightily disingenuous practice—and it robs writing of the adrenaline involved in breaking real news. Made-up stories revolve around grabbing attention: for the writer, for the news outlet, for the subjects involved.
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