Plagiarism: Playing by the rules

In the academic world, in music and even in church, what constitutes plagiarism is under new scrutiny after journalism's wake-up call

Anyone who thinks that a young black reporter wrote the book on plagiarism does not know much history. Other writers, performers and artists-even well-known preachers-who blend of the arts of writing, storytelling and dramatic performance, have faced accusations of plagiarism.

In essence, plagiarism is borrowing someone else's words and passing them off as one's own, whether in print, speech or performance. Journalists, scholars and other professional writers understand the rules, written and unwritten. Any original work should be just that. A …