Hungarian newspapers: front page reports on the plagiarism case / Media outlets worldwide pick up the big news / Papai in Blikk, Budapest: spin doctor / you little jerk! / HVG: plagiarizing… getting a title… finding excuses…

Another plagiarism scandal has come to light. Once again, a high-ranking politician has been toppled by his intellectual theft. What’s going on here? Why don’t our ambitious elites seem to be learning anything from the experiences of the last few months and years? Why don’t they simply come clean and admit to their mistakes?

Read this report also in German

Here’s my answer:  The problem is with our society, which still views plagiarism as a minor slip. The problem is with our political institutions, which look away despite knowing better. The problem is also with irresponsible judges whose erroneous rulings strengthen the impression that our courts tolerate intellectual theft. (Here’s a clear example.)

But it’s not all bad news. In this particular case, the Hungarian president ultimately dropped his resistance, bowing to public pressure to leave office. That is a credit to a country which has been facing so much criticism of late. It’s also a powerful statement with worldwide significance. Schmitt’s resignation enhances awareness of plagiarism and should make it harder to tolerate, let alone support this shameful behavior.

Pál Schmitt’s past caught up with him. The dissertation that ended his career was written twenty years ago! You see, there is no statute of limitations on plagiarism - at least not as regards its academic, public and political consequences. Those who commit plagiarism and refuse to take responsibility for their actions carry a scarlet letter, forever. And that is just.

This is also the story of Duncan McCorquodale, head of London-based Black Dog Publishing, who has sadly became a supporter of intellectual theft. For eight years now he has been refusing to accept liability for an act of plagiarism on the part of his company.

Worse still, McCorquodale continues to provide cover for plagiarist Alice Hutchison, whom the president of the Humboldt University of Berlin determined to be guilty of intellectual theft. For now, McCorquodale still has a chance at redemption. Hopefully the instructive fate of Pál Schmitt wll get him thinking.

More on Plagiarism by Black Dog Publishing of the UK here:

Alice Hutchison & Black Dog Publishing: it’s time to shoulder Responsibility for the Blatant Plagiarism you committed!

From London School of Economics all the way to Black Dog Publishing

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Plagiat: die Vergangenheit hat Präsident Pál Schmitt eingeholt / Wird Verleger Duncan McCorquodale endlich die Konsequenz ziehen?

Schlagwörter: blikk, duncan McCorquodale, hvg, intellectual thef, no statute of limitations, pál schmitt, papai, spin doctor, statute of limitations, you little jerk

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