Topic: WorldNetDaily
A Nov. 8 WorldNetDaily article by Joseph Farah summarizing the midterm elections was objective and balanced. That's how we knew that Farah couldn't have written it. As it turns out, he didn't -- it's mostly a cut-and-paste job from wire-service stories that moved during the evening of Nov. 7; nowhere in the article are the wire services credited.
Some spot-checks of Farah's plagiarism:
Farah:
Two years after a decisive election victory for President Bush and Republicans, Democrats picked up more than the 15 seats they needed to recapture control of the 435-seat House for the first time since 1994.
Two years after a decisive election victory for Bush and his Republicans, Democrats picked up at least the 15 seats they needed to win control of the House for the first time since 1994, according to TV network projections.
* * *
Farah:
Democrats needed to gain six seats to reclaim control of the 100-seat Senate for the first time in four years, and so far had taken three seats from Republicans.
Democrats needed to gain six seats to reclaim control of the 100-seat Senate for the first time in four years, and so far had taken three seats from Republicans.
* * *
Farah:
Pelosi, 66, appears certain to be elected House speaker by fellow Democrats when the new 110th Congress convenes in January, replacing Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican.
Under U.S. law, the speaker is second in the line of succession to the presidency, behind only the vice president.
Pelosi has said she will not try to end U.S. funding of the Iraq war, will pressure Bush to shift course, begin a phased redeployment of U.S. troops and require Iraqis to take greater responsibility for their own nation.
Pelosi, 66, appears certain to be elected House speaker by fellow Democrats when the new 110th Congress convenes in January, replacing Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican.
Under U.S. law, the speaker is second in the line of succession to the presidency, behind only the vice president.
Pelosi has said she will not try to end U.S. funding of the Iraq war, will pressure Bush to shift course, begin a phased redeployment of U.S. troops and require Iraqis to take greater responsibility for their own nation.* * *
Farah:
Democrats have promised votes on much of their agenda within the first 100 hours of taking power in January, including new ethics rules and a hike in the minimum wage.
Wire service (either Reuters or AP):
Democrats have promised votes on much of their agenda within the first 100 hours of taking power in January, including new ethics rules, a rise in the minimum wage, reduced subsidies to the oil industry and improvements in border and port security.
* * *
Farah:
Democrats toppled Republican senators in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Rhode Island, with races too close to call in Maryland, Virginia and Missouri.
Democrats won gubernatorial races in New York, Ohio and Massachusetts for the first time in more than a decade.
Charlie Crist kept the Florida governorship now held by the president's brother Jeb in Republican GOP hands.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, running as an independent, won a new term in Connecticut – dispatching Democrat Ned Lamont and thus winning when it counted most against the man who had prevailed in a summertime primary.
Associated Press (with sections that appeared verbatim in Farah's article in bold):
Resurgent Democrats toppled Republican senators in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Rhode Island and gained ground in the House Tuesday, challenging for control of Congress in midterm elections shaped by an unpopular war in Iraq and scandal at home.
Aided by public dissatisfaction with President Bush, Democrats won gubernatorial races in New York, Ohio and Massachusetts for the first time in more than a decade.
Charlie Crist was a bright spot for Republicans, keeping the Florida governorship now held by the president's brother Jeb in GOP hands.[...]
In a comeback unlike any other, Sen. Joe Lieberman won a new term in Connecticut - dispatching Democrat Ned Lamont and thus winning when it counted most against the man who had prevailed in a summertime primary.
Why point this out (beyond the obvious, that plagiarism is wrong and that Farah should know better)? Because not only does Farah have a record of such plagiarism, he regularly throws fits when other news services use WND copy without credit. Hint to Mr. Farah: You get only the respect you earn, and not stealing the work of others and putting it under your name without properly crediting the original authors would be a good first step toward earning that respect.
