The news aggregator site and pro-Medjugorje wind machine Ministry Values, which does not claim to be a Catholic site, presented a story today with the byline of Stephen Ryan and the headline “Vatican Hammers Conservative Catholic Bloggers”, about lay Catholics using their Internet writings to prod Church officials for reform. It also presented some cautionary words from other sources, including remarks by Abp. Celli from the Pontifical Council on Social Communications.
But while “author” Stephen Ryan was quoting a Vatican official about the ethics of social communications, he showed his own distinctive Internet-based writing technique, which could be summed up in the words “copy and paste”.
Paragraph 1 of Ryan’s story is copied from an AP story:
http://dailyme.com/story/2011012400000064/pope-catholics-online-hits.html (para. 5)
Paragraph 2 is from a column by Fr. James Martin, SJ, in America magazine:
http://www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?entry_id=3447 (para. 1)
Paragraph 3 is taken from another AP story, with some added words:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/10/25/catholic-bloggers-aim-purge-dissenters/ (para. 1-2)
Further material comes from this AP story:
http://www.valleynewslive.com/Global/story.asp?S=13894385
If you use scissors and paste, and cobble together a web page from other people’s copied words, without attribution, is it ethical?
[UPDATE: 1/25: Creative Minority Report has responded to the same dodgy article. The CMR piece and the ensuing comments produced an amazing display of upset on Mr. Ryan’s part, to the point where he indicated a wish to punch me in the nose! Poor man! Perhaps that falls into the category of “bad fruits of Medjugorje”.]
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This freepage snapshot of the webpage may come in handy later…
It was taken about 15 minutes ago.
http://www.freezepage.com/1295915539FNPNFQPQHP
First, he has no room to talk about attacking bishops. Steven Ryan is the proverbial pot calling the kettle black. Look who’s been attacking bishops – LOL.
“If you use scissors and paste, and cobble together a web page from other people’s copied words, without attribution, is it ethical?”
That’s a good question.
Is it plagerism?
Because I know at least plagerism is unethical.
What if you *do* cite your sources, though? Is it ethical than?
I’m not too bright on ethics.
I’ve been surveying that site and have engaged Stephen Ryan in ‘conversation’ over a period of time. Saying he’s a liberal catholic nut is about the most succinct way of saying it. Somehow, I presume that if Medjugorje turns out to be true he’ll want to claim some glory over it and trying to be associated with it. In addition, his credentials towards writing Catholic material is very lacking and it shows in many articles..he compared the seers in Medjugorje to St Joan of Arc. In another article he said the St. Francis was a priest with the stigmata. I corrected him, but he just didnt get it until someone else also took note of it. Seems mostly that his website is all about ‘getting hits’ and the liberal catholic side of things.