WarAgainstPlagiary

Breach of Press Council of India Act: Principles & Ethics Section 52 & 53

War Against Plagiary is a forum to enforce the self-regulatory regime for Principles & Ethics to be followed by newspapers and journalists. The War Against Plagiary starts with the biggest Plagiarist who has blatantly and immorally lifted and copied news already published in other media.

A synopsis of few reports with bylines of the journalist, Ms. Rashmi Pratap, during April & May 2008, and the sources they have been lifted from are:

Lifted Story No. 1:
Rashmi Pratap reports in ET on 21st May : Tata Tele GSM to ride on CDMA infrastructure
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Telecom/Tata_Tele_GSM_to_ride_on_CDMA_infrastructure/articleshow/3057397.cms

Story already published on 13th May, on PTI :
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c_online.php?leftnm=10&bKeyFlag=IN&autono=37438


Lifted Story No. 2:
Rashmi Pratap reports in ET on 2nd May : Telekom Malaysia wants Spice control http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Telecom/Telekom_Malaysia_wants_to_up_stake_in_Spice/articleshow/3010371.cms

Story already published on 3rd April on Rediff.comhttp://www.rediff.com/money/2008/apr/03tel.htm


Lifted Story No. 3:
Rashmi Pratap reports in ET on 23rd April : AT&T eyes Maxis' Aircel stake
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/Internet_/ATT_in_talks_with_Malaysias_Maxis_for_Aircel_stake/rssarticleshow/2973491.cms

Story already published on 17th April on NDTV Profit :
http://www.ndtvprofit.com/2008/04/17213549/ATampT-keen-on-Aircel-stake.html


Lifted Story No. 4:
Rashmi Pratap reports in ET on 5th April : Videocon telco arm in JV talks with global companies
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2924090.cms

Story already published on 17th March on the link below :
http://www.domain-b.com/print_article.aspx?sect=dom&docid=sGcrPDGeZ%2bE%3d


Lifted Story No. 5:
Rashmi Pratap reports in ET on 16th April : BSNL takes pvt route, to hire towers from 6 cos
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2954762.cms

Story already published on 28th February on Telecomtiger.com
http://telecomtiger.com/fullstory.aspx?storyid=904


Lifted Story No. 6:
Rashmi Pratap reports in ET on 18th April : Israeli firm may buy 10% in Tata Tele for $720 m

Story already published 17th April on koor.co.il.
http://www.koor.co.il/news-in.asp?num=422


Lifted Story No. 7:
Rashmi Pratap reports in ET on 22nd April : BSNL calls up private cos for tower sharing
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Telecom/BSNL_calls_up_private_cos_for_tower_sharing/articleshow/2969360.cms

Story already published on the website below :
http://personal---finance.blogspot.com/2008/01/tower-cos-line-up-to-offer.html


Lifted Story No. 8:
Rashmi Pratap reports in ET on 20th May : Long wait before you ring in mobile number portability
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Telecom/DoT-TRAI_face_off_may_delay_number_portability_again/articleshow/3054620.cms

Story already published on 18th May on PTI.
http://ptinews.com/pti/ptistories.nsf/AllByUNID/C3036B1D56F2F8AD6525744D003BB77A


Ms. Rashmi Pratap indulged in “Plagiary” and “Unauthorized lifting of News” can be ascertained from the attached reports authored by Ms. Rashmi Pratap alongwith the striking similar reports published by other journalists prior to hers. Read with the definitions laid down by Press Council of India (http://www.nwmindia.org/Law/Bare_acts/Norms.html),

Plagiarism: Using or passing off the writings or ideas of another as one's own, without crediting the source, is an offence against the ethics of journalism.

Unauthorised lifting of news: The practice of lifting news from other newspapers publishing them subsequently as their own, ill-comports the high standards of journalism. To remove its unethicality, the 'lifting' newspaper must duly acknowledge the source of the report. The position of features articles is different from 'news'. Feature articles shall not be lifted without permission and proper acknowledgement.

We appreciate the fact that Times Group had flagged off the War against Plagiary when Ms. Anusha Subramaniam, then with Business Standard, had verbatim lifted a report available on www.indiatimes.com and brought it to the notice of BS management. The entire media fraternity including Management, Reporters, Desk staff and Readers are requested to contribute to this initiative by curbing the immoral acts of Plagiary by highlighting such instances.

The Economic Times Desk and Editorial decision-makers should be more stringent for upholding the sanctity of the popular business daily. Wire Agencies and TV channels flash news on Friday 9th May. The ditto stories find their way in ET with a byline on Monday.

ET Story on 12th May: Trai wants finmin to review stand on 3G auctions, Joji Thomas Philip
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3030797.cms

Wire Agency Flash carried in Financial Express on 9th May
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/3G-players-not-suited-for-India--Trai-cautions-finmin/307479/

ET Story on 12th May: BSNL set to ring in stiff terms for 93 m GSM lines tender, Joji Thomas Philip
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/BSNL_set_stiff_terms_for_93_mn_GSM_lines_tender/articleshow/3030788.cms

Picked up from telecomnewspill.blogspot.com on 09 May.
http://telecomnewspill.blogspot.com/2008/05/bsnl-floats-rs-40000-cr-tender-for-93.html


Join the War against Plagiary movement. We can weed out Plagiarists.

Yours Faithfully,


Yudhvir Singh
Chairperson
War against Plagiary

Disclaimer: War Against Plagiary has no bias or malice, whatsoever of any kind, against any person, gender, organization, association or body named in “Plagiarist of the Month” update. The objective of War Against Plagiary is solely to bring unethical and immoral acts of plagiary and unauthorized lifting of news that has is infecting the moralities of the noble profession of journalism. War Against Plagiary will in way name a person, association, body or organization without factual instances based on information, published or telecast, and available in the public domain.