Lazy Reporting by VI Consortium

I wondered why it seemed so well written....

against the law I would think too

against the law I would think too

Yeah it is but a lot of online sites won't seek legal action unless it's an extreme case. That four factor test to prove fair use can be a headache. I was just shocked that they would lift an article from the DOJ without citing them. It's like stealing from the police station.

A lot of VI Consortium's stories come from here without citing info. I got curious. lol

http://www.justice.gov/usao-vi/pr

Works by the US govt are not copyrighted https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_status_of_work_by_the_U.S._government , but VI Consortium should still cite the source of the works, rather than present them as if they were original work.

Alana33 used to do that a lot (paste articles without attribution). Now she is a model netizen 🙂

I always do my best to attribute a source and authorship as there are links in source articles that are pertinent and hopefully people will check them out. 😉

It's a press release from the FBI. The intent of the agency is to get the information into print - verbatim or not.

Did you get the public receive the information? yes

Did the press release require editing? no

In this instance no wrong or foul by VI Consortium.

As stated earlier, the VI Consortium's article was copied verbatim from this DOJ article: http://www.justice.gov/usao-vi/pr/four-arrested-st-croix-drug-related-offenses

The DOJ's copyright notice is here: http://www.justice.gov/legalpolicies#copyright
"Information generated by the Department of Justice is in the public domain and may be reproduced, published or otherwise used without the Department’s permission. Citation to the Department of Justice as the source of the information is appreciated, as appropriate."

Although citation is not required by VI Consortium, citation should be the standard of every news outlet. Otherwise, it appears to be an original work by VI Consortium, and others may incorrectly attribute VI Consortium as the author.

For example, the FBI's article https://www.fbi.gov/sanjuan/press-releases/2015/four-arrested-on-st.-croix-for-drug-related-offenses was copied verbatim from the DOJ article, and the FBI appropriately cites the DOJ as the source.

(tu)

Regardless of the legality, it is just another example of Consortium's pi$$ poor "journalism".

Journalism 101 (literally): Always cite your sources when you can. When you can't, always explain there IS a source, and why you've chosen not to reveal it.

A few reasons:
Let's the reader determine the credibility and/or possible bias of both the source, and the publisher.
Let's the reader determine if the published statement fits the context of the original (sourced) statement.
Ethically, gives credit where credit is due.
Protects the credibility of the publisher.

Legitimate news outlets have editorial staff to oversee integrity issues like this. But Consortium, at least at this point, is not a news outlet, its a news blog with delusions of grandeur.

But Consortium, at least at this point, is not a news outlet, its a news blog with delusions of grandeur.

Exactly. Well said.

I've noticed similar instances in other local media - the Daily News, especially. They'll print new releases from various gov't. agencies & other private organizations with no citation. The author is usually "Daily News Staff".

As I recall, the Source also publishes some of the same news releases without citation. I used to wonder how both news outlets often had the exact same articles, almost word-for-word:S.

I love the guy's nickname: "Moo-Moo"!!

A news release does not require citation. It's great if a story is picked up verbatim - that's the goal of a news release.

The VI Consortium is many things, but journalism it is not - it's more of a blog that talks about news worthy things. Yet, it fills a void on the island for the immediacy required in this digital age. The Daily News, Source and Avis are slow to cover stories and the VI Consortium is quick to publish.

The VI Consortium wins many times at scooping stories - whether the reporting is unbiased or accurate is a different issue entirely.

Kudos to the VI Consortium; however, for bringing some much needed energy into the information space in the VI.

VI Consortium is definitely quick to release news. I'll give them that.

(tu), Gator's Mom!

Too bad that when the Consortium makes a mistake and you point it out to them, they delete your post.

Most news/information websites edit their online feedback. Really.

Most news/information websites edit their online feedback. Really.

No, not really. The ones I frequent moderate for violations of their terms of service. They don't delete differing opinions or corrections.

Most news/information websites edit their online feedback. Really.

Do they delete every post, including complementary poets? VIC deletes posts from people they don't like also.

VI Consortium owners can do whatever they like with your comments. Particularly because the website is not a journalistic endeavor.

VI Consortium owners can do whatever they like with your comments. Particularly because the website is not a journalistic endeavor.

(tu)