Jan
7
Telling the Truth in a World Full of Fiction: Reflections on Plagiarism andEthics in Media
January 7, 2026 | Leave a Comment
The videos assigned for this lesson revolve around a core ethical issue: lying. They
focus specifically on academic dishonesty and journalistic integrity, two areas
where truth-telling is not just preferred, but essential. The first video, Plagiarism
2.0 is a timely reminder that plagiarism, presenting someone else’s work or ideas
as your own, is a form of intellectual theft. The second video tells the story of
Jayson Blair, a former journalist for The New York Times who fabricated stories
and deceived the public. Though the formats and contexts are different, both
videos teach the same fundamental lesson: truth matters.
In Plagiarism 2.0, the emphasis is on students and academic honesty. It highlights
the importance of doing your own work, understanding citation formats, and
respecting the intellectual efforts of others. My personal frustration with citation
styles aside, I believe a simpler and more accessible system would encourage more
students to do the right thing. This video underscores the need to use our own
brains. I believe that God gave us minds for a reason. I take pride in researching,
analyzing, and drawing my own conclusions. Tools like Grammarly can help polish
our writing, but the ideas should be ours. This is not just about school, it’s about
integrity.
The second video, the story of Jayson Blair, was troubling and left me with more
questions than answers. I was curious about his background and how things went
so wrong, but there’s little public information about his upbringing. What stands
out is how he lied to the world, fabricated stories, and made up quotes while
working for one of the most respected news organizations in the country. And
somehow, no one noticed for a long time. That tells me this wasn’t just one man’s
mistake; it was a systemic failure. How could his editors and publishers not fact-check his work? Why wasn’t anyone paying attention?
Despite the differences in subject matter, both videos are ultimately about the
same thing: lying. Whether it’s a student cheating on a paper or a journalist
inventing a news story, the result is the same: people are misled. One video is a
reminder to students to do the right thing, and the other is a warning about what
happens when you don’t. In both cases, people got hurt, whether it was the public
trusting fake news or the school community dealing with dishonest academic
work.
The lesson here is simple but powerful: tell the truth. In school, that means doing
your assignments, citing your sources, and asking for help if you need it. Teachers
and writing centers are there for a reason, and so are editing tools. You don’t have
to cheat. You just have to try writing, type something, and go from there. There is
also value in knowing your limits and asking for support. I often ask for help
editing my work because I know that sometimes my writing might sound too blunt
or even shocking to others. That doesn’t mean I am dishonest; it means I am
learning how to communicate better and more respectfully.
And if you are someone who likes to tell stories, then do that: write fiction. Create
fairy tales. There’s no shame in making things up if you label them as imagination.
But don’t pretend that made-up stories are real news. That’s not creativity, that’s
deception.
In the end, both videos reinforce a core principle: truth-telling is a choice.
Whether in academia or journalism, we owe it to ourselves and others to be
honest. And if we do make mistakes, let’s own them and learn. Because if we’re
not truthful in the small things, we can’t be trusted in the big ones either.