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Link it, Instead of Plagiarizing


By: Haroon Baloch


Online journalism has made plagiarism easier than ever, but believe me your efforts against the ethics would earn you bad. Link it, whatever you want to utilize in your blogs and online writings, is the best practice in the world of online journalism.

More or less, ethics for online journalism and traditional print media are same. With technological progression, especially internet's role of connecting with huge pool of knowledge, has given a new dimension to journalism in following ways:

  • Journalists enjoy the liberty to select information from anywhere.
  • Supporting stuff e.g. pictures, graphics and videos can also be accessed.
  • All types of information are readily available for the subscribers.
  • Information can easily be ascertained through various sources.

Ethics of Utilizing Graphics or Videos
However, ethics of utilizing stuff from other sources bind us to follow them. For example, I'm utilizing a picture to support my blog; I need to credit the original source in the caption. Same applies for the videos and graphics. Otherwise you're simply plagiarizing.

Here I mention one of the examples from my previous blog where I write on a morning show. I linked my writing with the original program video available in YouTube archives.

Linking for Reference
In 2003, To Link or To Not Link was a controversial debate. However, in 2012, online journalists widely believe linking the most effective way to prevent plagiarism.

While writing blog, sometimes I have information but to further strengthening my viewpoint, I search for similar viewpoint in others' writings and mention it along with its reference at the end or in the writing.

Only Refer to Authentic Info 
Linking where provides readers a new taste in the story, at the same time it requires more attention in referring your readers to authentic information.So be careful while referring them to another information.

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