In wake of the news regarding Fareed Zakaria’s plagiarism suspension from Time and CNN, I was reminded of a feeling that I had last year: he borrowed from me too.
In October 2011, I filed a three-part report about Argentina’s
economy for CNN. My three (1, 2, 3 ) video reports and subsequent CNN.com article --
all of which I conceived, pitched, reported, wrote and produced on my own -- served as a
preview to the October 23, 2011 presidential election in Argentina, which
incumbent President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner won in a landslide.
A week later, on October 30, 2011, Fareed Zakaria aired a report about Argentina on his CNN show “GPS.”
After watching his video column, and reading the text article published on CNN.com, I couldn't help but feel that Zakaria had borrowed heavily from my original reporting. Some phrases in his report were lifted nearly verbatim from the scripts of my TV packages, and examples and anecdotes of mine were repeated too -- without attribution. Moreover, some of the exact video sequences used in my reports appeared in his too.
I had spoken on the phone with a "GPS" producer in New York a few days prior to October 30th, and I passed the links to my reports and shared some stories and insights with him, so I knew that Zakaria was going to speak about Argentina on his show, but I was surprised at the extent of which he had borrowed from my reporting.
Granted, all of these stories aired on CNN, but I don't think CNN -- or any other media outlet -- would encourage or tolerate such borrowing from within its own ranks without giving proper credit.
At the time, I expressed this concern to some colleagues and family, but I did not pursue the matter. Given the recent developments questioning Zakaria's reporting, I thought it made sense to bring it up now.
I am not suggesting that this is full-on plagiarism, but the similarities are undoubtedly there.
Some examples:
1. Byrnes:
"In December 2001, Argentina defaulted
on $100 billion in debt -- the largest default in history. The move ushered in
an era of utter chaos: five presidents in two weeks, cash and food shortages,
deadly riots and dire poverty."
Zakaria:
"In December of 2001, it declared the
largest debt default in history, sparking a period of all-out chaos - there
were five presidents in just two weeks."
"And it was disastrous for the Argentine people: many in the middle class had their entire bank savings wiped out, leading to deadly riots and widespread poverty."
2. Byrnes:
"While people in the U.S. and Europe
are tightening their belts, Argentines are partying. Restaurants and nightclubs
are packed nightly. Apartment sales are soaring. International rock stars, like
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Ricky Martin have all
played to capacity crowds here in recent weeks."
Zakaria:
"People are partying - nightclubs and
restaurants are packed; and rockstars from all over the world are adding Buenos
Aires to their list of must-tour cities."
3. Byrnes:
"According to analysts, the crash
occurred because of Argentina's enormous debt load, high public spending and
overvalued currency. Greece now carries similar burdens, which has led some
observers to suggest that Greece should follow Argentina's example and default
and devalue."
Zakaria:
4. Byrnes:
"But Argentina's sustained economic
growth has come with a cost: inflation. Officially, inflation in Argentina is
around 9 percent annually, but according to various analysts and many
Argentines, it is a nearly three times that number."
Zakaria:
"But the success of Argentina's
comeback may also be blinding the country to a build up of problems. Loose
money, large subsidies and a cheap currency are leading to
inflation. While Kirchner's administration puts the figure around 9%, that
number is widely regarded to be doctored. Reliable private estimates put
it closer to 25%."
5. Byrnes:
"According to watchdog group Global
Trade Alert, Argentina has taken 14 protectionist measures over the last three
months, more than Brazil, India and China combined."
Zakaria:
"While the remedy to that is structural
reform, Kirchner has instead resorted to crude protectionism. And external
headwinds are on the way - a global slowdown will mean lower incomes from
agriculture and reduced demand from China and Brazil."
And here is Fareed Zakaria’s video/article:
What do you think?
FYI, This is not the first time my work has been lifted. In 2008, the New York Times Travel section plagiarized an article I wrote about Ex-Pats living in Buenos Aires.
Where was my article published? Newsweek International.
Who was the editor of Newsweek International at that time? Fareed Zakaria.
The New York Times never ran a correction, and to the best of my knowledge, Newsweek International editors didn't pursue one.
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