“Media reporters have pointed out that paragraphs in my Time column on gun control, which was also a topic of conversation on this blog, bear close similarities to paragraphs in Jill Lepore’s essay in the April 23rd issue of The New Yorker. They are right. I made a terrible mistake. It is a serious lapse and one that is entirely my fault. I apologize unreservedly to her, to my editors at Time and CNN, and to my readers and viewers everywhere.”
I am definitely saddened by this event.
In today’s world of online journalism, it is very hard to find something that cannot be viewed as similar to another. I believe it’s true that every writer obtains ideas and thoughts from another. In fact, writers thrive on one another’s thoughts and ideas, but to simply clip a paragraph and present that information as one’s own is a terrible lapse.
As a blog writer, I credit sources as best I can, where they come from … especially if the verbiage I use is similar to another. While Mr. Zakaria deserves some level of discredit for his actions, he has been a wonderful proponent of ideas, soundly formulated and presented well. My problem with simply terminating the guy is the lack of clear level-headed ideas that promote discussion versus confrontation. He will be missed. But I am sure he will return, whether it is on this venue or another.
I hope … and pray … this is the only lapse and not one of many.