Johann Hari, quote shifting and the Press Complaints Commission
All members of the press have a duty to maintain the highest professional standards. The press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information.
These are not my words, they are set out in the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) Editor's Code of Practice , which is the foundation stone of the self-regulatory framework for the UK press administered by the PCC.
A mini-Twitter frenzy has broken out regarding the editorial practices of a journalist who works for The Independent and his personal blog , he has occasionally used words previously written by the interview subject to express an idea or sentiment, as a substitute for what they actually said in an interview to express that same sentiment. Mr Hari's justification for this practice is that his subjects often convey their thoughts clearer in their written word than they do in an oral interview. No doubt this is true - most of us convey our thoughts more clearly when we have time to consider them, and we have more time for such consideration when we write, rather than when we speak.
This episode raises two questions. Are Mr Hari's practices genuine cause for concern? Or is this a classic case of media enjoying making mischief about other media and making an issue out of a non-issue?
The wonderful thing about Twitter is the instant reaction to incidents such as this from opinon-formers. Hari's own Editor, Simon Kelner, appears to be standing by his man , but also wrote yesterday 'What a fiasco!' in a leader piece he penned (on which, see the postscript below). FT.com's editor, Robert Shrimsley, finds Kelner's reaction surprising . Times a few years ago. Any accustions of plagiarism in this context are unfair and wrong.
Mr Hari originally made his own articulate (and not entirely unpersuasive) case for his own defence on his blog . But his defence fails to deal with the PCC issues I refer to above. Has Mr Hari maintained high professional standards? And has he published misleading or inaccurate information? Well, if we accept the crux of Mr Hari's own defence, he has not misled anyone. In fact, the basis of his argument is that his practice gave the reader a more accurate representation of his interview subject's views than a reported account of the interview transcript would have done.
But that argument ignores the obvious counter-argument. That readers of a newspaper interview might reasonably expect quotes in an interview to have been taken from words said in the interview. The clue is in the word - interview - which means an exchange of views, of comments. An interview is not supposed to be a signpost to earlier stated views, whether or not those previously stated views were of a similar sentiment to the views expressed in the interview itself. On that basis, I do not believe that Mr Hari's actions are consistent with the Editorial Code.
Quotes About Honesty - News
Where does truth, beauty – or even modest honesty – lie in a world where people with no name and no comebacks can help whip up such a storm? I'm not a journalist, I don't have a dog in any publication fight, no loyalty to a writing faction or
He was fully devoted to his business and his family and will always be remembered for his hard work, intelligence, vision, dedication, honesty and fairness. He'll also be remembered for his successes as a businessman. He touched many lives in so many
His honesty and willingness to address the issue are commendable. Cynics might say the piece was commissioned by Mr Kelner or The Independent's PR folk. Who knows and so what if it was? The Independent have done well to nip a potentially damaging issue
Other quotes were culled from the manuscript of a never-completed sequel to his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. ''My comrades in prison were men of honesty and principle,'' he wrote, remembering his 27 years of incarceration.
Zuckerman calls it a great "socio-religious irony" that the moral imperatives of the world's great religions, such as caring for the sick, elderly, poor and infirm, practicing mercy, charity and goodwill toward others, and fostering generosity, honesty
dudhnireces: quotes for honesty
I have worked for some of the big Indian IT companies including HCL Technologies and Satyam and can tell you all that these companies are the most screwed up companies in terms of bringing in H1 and L1s from India and paying them peanuts for salaries. For example Satyam and TCS here in St Louis have a large outsourcing deal with Citigroup. There are about 50-60 Satyam Engineers here on H1 and L1 visas being paid around $45,000 per month+Benefits which is just about the Labor prevailing wage in this area. Read the article on today's washington post. I had to email the writer to get the website (email) information. He/She was nice enough to email me the website link. It would've been better if the website link was provided on the article itself, I think that would've directed few more folks to this site. This is a great effort indeed and I am glad I got to be part of it. Also, you do not have to wait to hear the complete message. You can be connected to an IO in less than 30 seconds (trust me, you will get good at it). I had the print out of steps sitting in my car and I would go to my car every 2 hours and call TSC. Keep a log of when you called and who the officer was (if the officer tells you their name, note it down cuz next time you can simply hang up if the same officer is on the line). Please also note that in proceeding with filing the I-485 for the purposes of the lawsuit, you would be waiving your right to any refund of the filing fees for your case, as there is no guarantee that the USCIS will return filing fees. Should you have any questions about billing/pricing/credits, please contact our Customer Support department at 1-888XXXXX ext. 2, or customersupport@XXXXXXXXX.com.
Preston: "I haven't been following this story, but I am somehow going to make it about anonymity" 
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