Is everyone here really that bothered by plagiarism?
I mean, it's not right and all, and it's definitely not within the spirit of the community in which he writes. But can we at least admit that none of us is really that bothered by Borges' plagairism. We're just happy about it because we don't like his content, and so it's a big gotcha.
Some of the moral indignancy about plagairism though strikes me as a bit disingenuous. If a writer whose content I liked got a two month suspension for this kind of plagairism, I'd be ok with that. Calling for this guy's hide has a lot less to do with his plagairism and a lot more to do with his crazy agenda, and we should at least be honest about that.
You raise an issue that's like scratching a scab. For some, plagiarism is an ethical violation, but not a major issue. For others, plagiarism is among the most despicable crimes, tantamount to stealing, which it is.
I don't want to sugarcoat this. Borges plagiarized. His act is something his profession and his readers must not tolerate. There is no level of degree or measurement on a scale of how much he plagiarized. He plagiarized, full stop.
Now, let's consider one of the reasons for the reactions of the people on this message board postulated by the poster in the following two lines: "But can we at least admit that none of us is really that bothered by Borges' plagairism. We're just happy about it because we don't like his content, and so it's a big gotcha."
My answer is no, I can't admit that I'm not really bothered by Borges' plagiarism. His is a despicable act by one who is too lazy, too lacking in creativity, and unwilling to research in detail the facts for him to form his own opinion in his duty to report to his readers. I am extremely bothered by Borges, Barnicle, Blair, King, and whoever else lacked the commitment to put their own words toward expressing their thoughts.
Having a blog to access NFL football information shared by members of the NFL teams' beat writers is one thing. Copying information verbatim without taking the time to research, verify, and attribute anything not researched directly by the writer is a journalistic violation of the highest degree. And he gets paid for this stuff???
I'll leave you with this thought: Mike Barnicle was fired from the Globe for plagiarism. Mike was extremely popular in the Boston community and a very popular writer for the Globe. He epitomized the blue-collar, working man view and touched many readers. He plagiarized. He will always have that dark cloud hanging over him for this unfortunate act. He always should. While he is now back in Boston and writing again, his was an error in judgement that he would give anything to take back. I guarantee this.
Whether Borges is liked or not should have nothing to do with the price he is now paying and will pay for quite some time. Just ask Mike.