December 12, 2005

Don't mention it

Found out about this not long ago (and it put in my mind Four people, one woozy that I wrote last May):

Journalist A writes an account of an experience from a trip somewhere in India, and also speaks about it to Journalist B. Journalist B uses that account in a column, without mentioning A, and sends it off for publication.

Journalist A writes an account of an egregious misdeed he uncovered. Journalist B uses that account in a column, without mentioning A, and has it published. Later, Journalist B writes again, referring to that misdeed and B's first column, still without mentioning A. Journalist C reads B's writings and concludes, very naturally, that it was B who uncovered the misdeed. C writes a column mentioning B and B's work. B does not think it necessary to correct C.

Journalist A writes an account of another experience from a trip somewhere in India, and also speaks about it to Journalist D. Journalist D uses that account in a column, mentioning A, and sends it off for publication. A storyteller team reads D's column and learns from it about A's experience. They decide to use it as the basis for their next project. D is in regular touch with the storytellers, and insists that they credit A. They do so, prominently.

And so the world turns.

6 comments:

wise donkey said...

grrr

R. said...

Grabbing credit for someone else's work is a fine, age old tradition in Banking & I think most hierarchial corporates. The concept that 'hard work pays in the end' is a load of crap. It's one's job to ensure they get the proper credits for their work.
I worked with a senior colleague who apparently got big bonusses claiming rights to the work a few of us did. Basically he took a few greenhorns for a ride..Never again will this happen.

I think Journalist A has himself/herself to blame here, if he/she has been around for a while and still was naiive to be discussing stories with the competition. Do Jounros live in a make believe world that they have standards that the corporate world doesn't anyways? I'm curious :)

Dilip D'Souza said...

R, the way I think this went is: A looked at both B and D as friends -- not "the competition" -- and chatted with them about various experiences as friends do. B chose one way, D chose another.

I don't think journos have any illusions about standards in their business!

Yazad Jal said...

Dilip

This alphabet soup recounting makes an interesting story sound like a piece of filmy gossip. Maybe you can share some more details like names? At least of the second part where A did get his due?

Dilip D'Souza said...

Yaz: nope.

Anonymous said...

Addendum:

Journalist B, after taking Journalist A's experiences as his own, leads the new crusade against plagarism.