Fareed Zakaria suspended after plagiarism claim

[Deleted]

Whoa!

Time Magazine Suspends Fareed Zakaria's Column, After Plagiarism Claim

Less more than a week after a major plagiarism scandal brought down science wunderkind Jonah Lehrer, Time magazine said it was suspending Fareed Zakaria's column for a month.

Zakaria is an influential and respected commentator on foreign policy and also hosts a show on CNN called Fareed Zakaria GPS.

Earlier today, the conservative media watchdog Newsbusters accused Zakaria of lifting parts of his Time column on gun control from a New Yorker article on the same topic.

The two excerpts posted on the site were dramatically similar, though Zakaria does change a phrasing here and there.

By this afternoon, Zakaria had apologized for the passages in a statement to Atlantic Wire. He admitted that media critics were right to be concerned and said he had extended an apology to The New Yorker's Jill Lepore.

"I made a terrible mistake," he said. "It is a serious lapse and one that is entirely my fault. I apologize unreservedly to her, to my editors at Time, and to my readers."

The Atlantic Wire also reports that following his apology, Time decided to suspend his column for a month, "pending further review."

[ChillyMcFreeze]

Crazy. Given his reputation, I'm willing to bet it was a really careless error made on deadline. Time is making the right decision putting its foot down, though.

[IIOY]

I'm sincerely shocked this happen. Ditto that this most likely was an oversight or careless error.

[msmerymac]

Aug 10, 2012 16:06:43 GMT -5 toledo said:

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

My thoughts, exactly. I love him!

[lys]

An oversight? Careless error? No one plagerizes by oversight or careless error. Plagerism is a purposeful act.

[Deleted]

but, but he's awesome! wtf?

[copzgirl1171]

Aug 10, 2012 19:03:55 GMT -5 lys said:

An oversight? Careless error? No one plagerizes by oversight or careless error. Plagerism is a purposeful act.

Heaven help me, I agree.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

Plagiarism can absolutely be a careless error or oversight. If I read a really great piece by Zakaria, decide a few days later to write something on the same topic and accidentally use similar phrasing without proper citation, I've unconsciously plagiarized. It happens more than you would think. I highly doubt someone with his experience would intentionally steal intellectual property, especially knowing how that could tank his career.