Shots In The Dark: Katie Couric, Plagiarist

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Katie Couric, Plagiarist

So here's an interesting story: On the CBS website, there's a Katie Couric section called "Katie's Notebook"—it's ostensibly her blog. A typical entry begins, "Hi everybody," and concludes, "And that's a page from my notebook."

Bleh.

Except, apparently it's only kinda-sorta her "notebook." Yesterday, a CBS producer was fired for having plagiarized from the Wall Street Journal an item she posted on (in?) Katie's Notebook.

Which is pretty much, of course, how all television news gets written—by plagiarizing newspapers.

America is under no illusion that Katie Couric writes her own TV copy. But blogs, the most intimate of published discourse? Ones that are called "Katie's notebook"? Wouldn't you think that was written by Couric? It certainly is advertised as such.

In defense of high ethical standards, CBS fired the producer for this heinous act.

"We were horrified," CBS News spokeswoman Sandra Genelius said. "It was almost verbatim."

So let me see if I understand this: It's a firing offense for a 20-something kid to claim something that someone else has written as her own...but it's A-okay for Katie Couric to claim something someone else has written as her own.

Perhaps the producer, seeing how bogus "Katie's Notebook" was, simply thought that everything was as corrupt as the creation of that blog....

¶ 9:52 AM

Comments:

To be fair, the "Notebook" is, I believe, an exclusively audio/video affair. I.e., she sits at her regular desk and talks to the camera. We don't expect that she writes all her own news, so I wouldn't expect she writes this stuff either, frankly. It isn't, in short, like a blog. It's more like an addendum to the news broadcast.

Still and all, she just doesn't work as an anchor, because her one and only asset (besides her legs, which we generally don't see), is her "sparkle", and she's purposely turned that off in order to appear appropriately "serious". Frankly Matt Lauer would be a better anchor that she is.

# posted by Anonymous : April 11, 2007 10:53 AM

Even if you were right, I'm not sure that would change anything, but I don't think your premise is accurate: The Notebook is posted as a blog on the CBS website. The link I included should take you there.

# posted by Richard Bradley : April 11, 2007 10:57 AM

She's a hack.

If we have no expectation that these anchors write their own stuff then WHY OH WHY are they celebrities? I swear Tom Brokaw's retirement was treated like he was Alan Greenspan or something (whereas Greenspan was treated like a sports announcer rather than a policymaker).

There was a magnificent New Yorker piece about eight years ago (around the time of the book _The Greatest Generation_) about serious and ponderous scholarly monographs from the pens of anchorpeople. It was a riot.

This is one reason I love Regis and Kelly. They do not pretend to set an intellectual or civic agenda. Katie Couric is Kelly from that show (can't remember her last name), except Couric doesn't improvise in intelligent ways or have charm. Moreover, she spreads her ignorance all over the news.

Mara Liasson -- no better. Matt Lauer -- definitely no better (did anyone see what he said about Michael J. Fox? Sure, Lauer is cute but so was Ollie North). Almost all these people are complicit in enormous crimes against truth.

On the other hand, there are good tips on how to keep your kids safe in this frightening modern world on those shows.....

Disdainfully,

Standing Eagle
Really Oughta Just Get a Blog, and/or Do His Taxes Already

# posted by Anonymous : April 11, 2007 11:05 AM

I also have disdain for the sexist comment about somebody's legs.

SE

# posted by Anonymous : April 11, 2007 11:06 AM

I disagree, SE. Given that Couric has marketed her legs for years—super short skirts, Mahnolo Blahniks, etc.—I hardly think it's sexist to comment on those legs. No one brought them to America's attention but Couric herself.

# posted by Richard Bradley : April 11, 2007 11:11 AM

Standing Eagle: be careful scoffing at "serious and ponderous monographs from the pens of....."? You stand in a glass house on that one, amigo.

# posted by Anonymous : April 11, 2007 11:12 AM

Bradley:

I disagree. Wearing a skirt is not "marketing your legs." In fact I'd be comfortable calling the equation of the two things sexist.

Anon:

Funny comment, but if you knew what 'monograph' means you would have framed it differently, and it might have made sense.

Mock away!

Standing Eagle
("He who live in glass house change clothes in basement")

("If eagle remains standing for over four hours consult a physician")

# posted by Anonymous : April 11, 2007 11:52 AM

Ok, I'll frame it differently: you are a born windbag who knows, and more importantly understands, a whole lot less than you think.

# posted by Anonymous : April 11, 2007 12:00 PM

SE,

Did you ever watch the Today Show? The whole country (other than you, apparently) knows that Katie Couric is inordinately proud of her legs.

Take a look, if you don't believe me:

http://www.tunc.biz/couric_fan.htm

# posted by Richard Bradley : April 11, 2007 12:37 PM

Sample quotes from the link I just provided:

—The Chicago Sun Times writes that Katie Couric's legs are "tanned and painstakingly arranged for sit-down interviews." The New York Times writes: "The camera fixates on Ms. Couric's legs during interviews, she performs in innumerable skits and stunts, and her clowning is given center stage even during news events."—

# posted by Richard Bradley : April 11, 2007 12:41 PM

"Ok, I'll frame it differently: you are a born windbag who knows, and more importantly understands, a whole lot less than you think."

I'll accept that. Sorry you don't enjoy the persona.

The point about my not understanding things would be stronger with an example.

SE

# posted by Anonymous : April 11, 2007 12:41 PM

Have you ever noticed that you never spot Standing Eagle and Dick Cheney at the same event? Makes you think, doesn't it?

# posted by Anonymous : April 11, 2007 2:10 PM

Just to round out this thread with a smidge of evidence of major hackitude, nice and 'painstakingly arranged' legs not(with)standing:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200704130003

Standing Eagle

# posted by Standing Eagle : April 13, 2007 7:06 PM

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