Chris Hedges extra

“I stand by my body of work,” Hedges told Gawker when asked in an email about several of the instances of borrowing documented below. “I do not plagiarize. I never have and never would. That’s basic professionalism.”

Could somebody please lock this guy in a room with Ed Wegman, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Laurence Tribe, Matthew Whitaker, etc etc etc?

On some level, you gotta admire the guy’s chutzpah, but Hedges and his pals should also realize that by denying in this way, they’re undercutting their alternative defense that plagiarism is really no big deal (an argument that I disagree with, for reasons discussed here).

6 thoughts on “Chris Hedges extra

  1. > Could somebody please lock this guy in a room with Ed Wegman, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Laurence Tribe, Matthew Whitaker, etc etc etc?

    And the expected result would be?… No, wait, I get it! The point is just to have them locked up in a room, yes. That could work.

    > On some level, you gotta admire the guy’s chutzpah, but Hedges and his pals should also realize that by denying in this way, they’re undercutting their alternative defense that plagiarism is really no big deal…

    True. But how seriously do you think they took the alternative defense? Public figures who get caught seem to have a propensity to go all in for the bald-faced lie. Costanza Syndrome? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn_PSJsl0LQ

  2. Self-plagiarism? Ah, yes, if only we could all aspire to such breathtaking original works as “The GOP Will Try to Entice You With This Shitshow of an Ad” or “Penis Stimulants, and Other Great Tips From Marion Barry’s New Memoir.”

    /s

  3. Two ways I wouldn’t begin my defense of Hedges:

    1. Make it clear that I can’t really be bothered to look carefully at the accusation. E.g., “The New Republic has published a hit piece on Chris Hedges that accuses him of plagiarism — without ever really documenting any direct plagiarism as far as I can tell. I’ll admit that my eyes started to glaze over as I read the 5700 word piece, so it may have crept in there and I had simply gone catatonic.” (Firedoglake)

    2. A vitriolic ad hominem that just declares my unfailing loyalty to Team Hedges: “The New Republic is a corporate Democrat pimping mouthpiece from which some of the most cowardly and dishonest smear campaigns are launched into the national media cesspool on behalf of the corrupt establishment.” (opednews.com)

  4. Now, Andrew, let me show you an argument that will convince you that all this plagiarism related indignation is totally wrong-headed. Seriously, you will not be able to escape the simple logic behind this.

    So, yesterday Ta-Nehisi Coates found that a critique of his own article arguing for reparations was in fact self-plagiarised from an older piece by the same author. Voilà the 2000 and the 2014 piece, in which he just smuggled in some mentions of “Ta-Nehisi Coates”:

    http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2549774/
    http://www.wnd.com/2000/07/7564/

    Coates tweeted about it and informed the Washington examiner. The Washington Examiner took this very seriously, of course, as you can see by its explanation in the update:

    “Syndicated columnist Walter Williams expressed these views on the issue of reparations in columns he wrote a decade ago. It appears Williams’ views have not changed.”

    You see, he just did not change his opinion. And, indeed, his thoughts were so perfect in form – optimized, really – that they basically HAD to came ou more or less the same way a decade later.

    I told you you won’t be able to escape this logic.

  5. More Whitaker bashing, I see, from a blogger too timid to question the veracity and motives of his own sources.

    Hint: ever read The Cabinet of Plagiarism, which already seems to be running on fumes? Ever note that it is composed in a style reflective of eary American republic prose? Let’s see: who teaches that subject at ASU’s Department of History, Misery,
    and Mystery? Why, it is the spouse of one of the main accusers! Zounds!

    What other morsels await, I wonder? Will our intrepid blogger endeavor to uncover them, or will he simply recycle in uncritical fashion what interested parties pass his way? Will he continue to defend his own shoddy investigative research methods while decrying the shortcomings of others? Stay tuned!

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