The Ethics of Plagiarism..errr...Writing

Regis Behe, writing for The Evening Bulletin, bloviates on the ethics of writing. Focuses on plagiarism and out-right dishonesty among writers in particular. Inspired by the same plague, uhh...plagiarism, I'm quoting from the article:

"The Frey controversy was the impetus for "Can You Handle the Truth? Ethics in Writing," the theme of this year's 412: Creative Nonfiction Literary Festival. The event takes place today through Nov. 11 at various sites in Pittsburgh. Lee Gutkind, a professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh and the event's organizer, says there was a need to respond to the media frenzy that erupted after revelations Frey had distorted facts." - www.theeveningbulletin.com

Lemme tell you, Prof., the whole kerfuffle had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with Frey and his writing. What it did have to do with was Oprah. The fact that Oprah touted his book in the first place was the only reason that the whole thing boiled over and kept simmering for a long time. Anyway, you guys have fun at your conference.

I can't say the same thing about Kaavya Viswanathan, the Harvard student who lifted whole sections from Megan McCafferty's books. That little imbroglio was just a small symptom of a very deep illness, which is known as book packaging. Want to more about why a teenager got a $500,000 advance for her first book?
"The answer just might be found on the copyright page of 'How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life.' There it says: 'Copyright 2006 by Alloy Entertainment and Kaavya Viswanathan.'" - www.boston.com

I suggest you read the whole article, and let me tell you, the minute you finish reading it, any naive or idealistic hopes you may have of getting your manuscript printed based upon your talent as a writer will be dashed into tiny little pieces. That's reality for you. And a note to Prof. Lee Gutkind. If you are going to yak at your conference about writers and ethics, you might actually manage to do a bit of good, if you were to raise the issue of book packaging.