On Thu, Aug 16, 2012 at 4:05 PM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote:

> Well I'm sure he learned a valuable lesson. If you don't check your
> work, you'll get a week's paid vacation.
>
> On Thu, Aug 16, 2012 at 3:01 PM, Mark Jeffries <[email protected]>
> wrote:
> > Both Time magazine and CNN conducted internal reviews and found that
> there
> > were no other instances of plagiarism, therefore Zakaria is back at work
> at
> > both locations and his CNN Sunday show will return on Aug. 26:
> >
> >
> http://www.thewrap.com/media/article/fareed-zakaria-passes-time-magazine-review-will-keep-job-52366
>

No, I think This sounds about right. I have to take their word for it on
the results of the review, not being in a position to check all of his
published and broadcast materials for unattributed dependence on other
sources, but assuming this is accurate Zakaria has been given a fairly
harsh, but defensible, punishment for his mistake. The blow to a guy like
Zakaria is not the threat to his income, but the mark on his reputation.
Like him or not (I agree with him somewhat more than I disagree with him),
his meat and potatoes is a kind of smarter than thou, cleaner than thou,
above the frayism, and that mantle took a heavy hit. To fire him, or give
an even longer suspension just for the one incident that has been reported
would be an overreaction, and put every news program, paper and magazine in
an untenable position, as the number of well known pundits and "experts"
who employ a similar practice as Zakaria, and are at least constantly at
risk for making the same mistake, is quite high. I am slightly
disappointed, but not surprised, that CNN and Time and WaPo, and others,
did not take the opportunity to revise guidelines and standards for
contributors, both insisting that they do more of their own work, and that
they cut back on their workload (a hospital that employs doctors 80 hours a
week can not really act shocked when the doctors make a mistake, or take
short-cuts, due to overwork). I suspect Zakaria at least will be keeping a
closer eye on his in-house production line, and others in his situation who
are prudent will also, at least for a while.

I have not been tracking commentary on Zakaria's situation, but I suspect
there must be at least a few conservative pundits who might be expected to
pile on who have been surprisingly mild or silent, all too aware of how
easily they could be, and still might yet, be in his shoes.

-- 
TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People!
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