What is wrong with some people? Do they actually believe that content they “find” on the Internet is public property – free for the taking?

In a recent Boston Globe report, a newly elected middle school principal was nailed for having plagiarized a chunk of copy to use in an email to her staff. Was this a one-time blunder? Hell, no!

Today I read in the Globe that she has resigned. The Globe sleuths discovered she also stole a 5-paragraph summary from Oregon State University’s website to use in her job application.

Is there no shame? This from an adult. This from an educator of our children. People worry about kids stealing content from the Internet, and evidently, we can’t take our eyes off of adults, either.

Years ago when I first started my own business, I hired a writer to do some work for me, going so far as to send her a chunk of source material, since the topic was so technical.

She turned the article around quickly enough. Reading through it, I found myself thinking, this stuff is too perfect to be true…rather, truly HERS. And it wasn’t. She lifted whole sections from the source material I’d sent her. When I confronted her, she said she thought it was public information and therefore free to use.

What I thought was, “What are you, HIGH?” What I said was, “Sayonara.” (And this: don’t ever use my name as a reference.)

Just so we’re all clear: when you come across content online, it is NOT yours to take. It is the property of someone else, regardless of whether you see a copyright line attached to it.

How can

we expect to teach our children well* if we’re creepy thieves ourselves?

*phrase reminiscent of the song, “Teach Your Children,” by Graham Nash.

© 2013 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. This means no copying/pasting and making it your own, bub.