Have Saviour and Roger employed Nakita Zammit?
THE INSITER (university student newspaper)
MALTA TODAY PLAGIARISES STUDENT NEWS STORY
31 October 2011
by Philip Leone Ganado
Local news agency MaltaToday has plagiarised a news article from Insiter Online, lifting the text from the student website last Saturday and publishing it as its own on its web portal, MaltaToday.com.mt.
MaltaToday, which is owned by MediaToday Co. Ltd., did not seek permission from Insite – an independent student media organisation active at the University of Malta – for use of the article, and no credit or citation was given, nor any reference made to the original author or publisher.
The article in question is entitled “Students Set Up Group to Protest Bus Service”, and was published on October 14th, whereas the version published by MaltaToday was uploaded on Saturday October 29th, with the headline:
“Students to protest on transport reform, as Austin Gatt faces no confidence motion (sic)”.
As can be seen from the screenshots included below, apart from a brief twenty-five word standfirst, the text of the two articles is entirely the same, with only a handful of dates and pronouns altered.
When contacted for an explanation on Monday morning, MaltaToday’s news portal editor Matthew Vella argued that the person who uploaded the plagiarised piece did in fact cite its original source in the final paragraph.
In actual fact, the text that Mr. Vella refers to reads:
“Speaking to insiteronline.com, a spokesman for Transport Malta said…” This text appears in the article as originally written on Insiter Online, and was copied by the MaltaToday journalist, who was not identified, along with the rest of the story.
Mr. Vella, who previously edited MaltaToday’s Sunday editions, initially offered to move this “citation” to the top of the page, but when informed by Insite that this would not suffice, deleted the story at approximately 3.30pm.
When asked whether he would issue an apology, Mr. Vella claimed that he had no responsibility because he was not at work when the article was uploaded.
“Of course, any form of plagiarism and copy-and-paste reports are unacceptable [but] I will not issue any apology for something that I did not authorise”, he said.
With respect to whether any investigation will be carried out as to how and why the incident occurred at all, we have been informed that the journalist in question has already been addressed on the severity of the matter.
————
It’s just typical, isn’t it, that somebody like Matthew Vella, whose responsibilities as editor do not depend on whether he was actually at the office that day or not, would try to fob these students off with the crap excuse that he wasn’t at work that day.
It is also just typical of his Laburist mindset that he doesn’t understand the concept of apologising on behalf of the organisation for which you are responsible, whether you yourself ‘did it’ or not.
Imagine ripping off students, honestly. Trid tkun il-gazzetta ta’ Saviour u Roger, jahasra.
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http://insiteronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/maltatoday2.jpg
http://insiteronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/maltatoday1.jpg
And I suppose that Matthew Vella never works from home in this, the internet age.
Why because the nationalists ever admit to doing something wrong and apologising?? haha good joke
[Daphne – My, what a high standard you’ve got there in your newsroom at Malta Today. Impressive. I hope you’re the person who makes the tea and dusts the desks, and not somebody who writes news reports. If you’re going to post a comment defending your actions, next time be smart enough not to do it from a computer in your office, or at least bother to assume that I am likely to know what your office network’s IP number is. Idiots.]
Thumbs up Mattitude, thumbs up.
Yep it’s Mr Tea maker to you, i work in the office but not in the newsroom. Not defending the actions, our newsroom can handle themselves.
I am writing from an unbiased point of view and simply commented on what i felt was a load of BS when it came to your comment regarding the “Laburist mind set”.
I don’t accept that because i work here i cannot post a comment on your blog. Next time on the right of the Leave a Comment you should put in brackets (only if you work for the Times and you’re a blind nationalist).
[Daphne – ‘I am writing from an unbiased point of view’. You crack me up.]
Unless you are THE boss, I hope that your superior investigates the fact that you are posting comments on company time.
If you are NOT Saviour himself (and we know you’re not because he doesn’t read this blog even though he doesn’t agree with anything written on it) then your actions being sanctioned by your employers simply shows their overall sloppiness.
Oh, no one’s surprised that you’re using company time to undermine the organisation that employs you – not when the editor of Malta Today’s portal posts a comment saying “WTF?” in response to a reader’s perfectly reasonable and politely expressed criticism.
Mattitude, please don’t be discouraged. I find your two contributions quite entertaining.
Please also note that I do not work for The Times, nor am I a blind Nationalist and, most importantly, I am totally unbiased.
“I am writing from an unbiased point”
Did Saviour teach you this refrain?
Mattitude have to agree with your comment.
as Vincent mentioned, do not discourage yourself.
(MH)
[Daphne – I believe Vincent was sarcastic, not serious.]
Joe Micallef i will have you know that some very few people actually do think for themselves ..this is obviously all very new to you who thinks like the rest of these sheep who commented on here.
let me “hear” you all together now..bah bah bah!!!
…you’re all saying the same crap in different words!!!…clever bunch…just like daph cat, joseph and gonzi..all up there with the clever people…you crack me up cat…meow
Whome, you’re stuck in Freud’s third stage of development. Time to move on.
I am only trying to help Mike Hut here.
http://www.sarcasmsociety.com/images/how-to-tell-if-someone-is-being-sarcastic.gif
Whome, your comments were written just after noon. Isn’t it too early for Earl Grey tea? Or is it Nescafe in your case?
As thick as they come.
yes you are honey
this woman is absolutely absurd…so darn right rude!! not to say pathetic!! daph hold a mirror in front of your face for a split second…cheap way to make money woman!!
[Daphne – Sigh.]
meow daph…get it right…you meow!
not again daph cat
The editor is responsible for his employees. It is the principle of ” cullpa invigilando”, well established in Maltese case law. BTW Mrs Galizia , i do not watch french films :).
daph’s blogs being ever so simple for the simpletons themselves…
…simple things please simple minds…
So that’s why you’re here, then.
Why do I get the feeling that whome and Mattitude are one and the same person, that s/he is a very immature twenty-something, and that s/he might well be responsible for the plagiarised article, hence the immediate and hysterical reaction.
haha good try Carmen…but im afraid you’re completely off track!!…try again though..its worth a try!
kudos for your comment and effort…but that name…ouch..cringe!!!
MENOPAUSE at its best..i do however, whilst im at it recommend HRT (Hormone replacement therapy)…carmen duly noted?? ;)
Not much younger than Joseph?
Same generation, same ineptitude?
whome is what you call a ‘troll’ in internet terms. Someone who has nothing to do with their time so proceeds with wasting the time of others.
And the Rooster goes…. Bahh bahh bahh.
It most certainly does not!
Next from Maltatoday –
Matthew Vella: “The dog ate my homework and 1000 other excuses.”
Ladies and gentlemen, Maltatoday has left the building.
“hysterical reaction” hahaha seriously?!?! ohhhhhh!! well not quite no..
Your comments confirm that you need help, and you need it urgently.
So take my advice, and for your own good, pack some things and go spend a few days where they can give you the help you need.
You will feel better in no time.
I see from whome/Mattitude’s comments that Saviour Balzan and Roger de Giorgio also have their fair share of psychiatric problems in their office.
Mattitude has demonstrated exactly what I find objectionable in these people.
He misunderstood the note to mean that he’s not allowed to post a comment rather than that the comment he posted was wrong in so many ways.
Why do they defend plagiarism?
Malta Today:
You don’t have to be crazy to work there, but it helps.
The more time passes and the more I see the likes of Matthew Vella, the more I am convinced that the decision to stop buying that rag a couple of years ago, was the right thing to do.
Matthew Vella is a joke. Probably The Sunday Times were referring to him – in addition to a couple of other creative … ehm … journalists? – when they said that Malta Today gives an enhanced-reality version of stories …
Maltatoday was a good read once. The quality of the comments made in defence of plagiarism explains its decline.
Vincent thank you very much for your link, much appreciated and for that I am very grateful. Below please find the link I am providing in the hopes you find it helping.
http://www.getoffyour#$$andgetalife.com.mt
It’s rather funny how I came across this blog, and seeing how the above experts seem the type that mould themselves into the chair that sits in front of their pc I feel I should share for everyone’s benefit..
My business partner and I play this game at the office. it’s rather simple, it’s called, “Keeping the “poo” in the vicinity of the shoe!! ”
So today I was given this blog while in the jonny… I must say it was a close one today! Maybe because yesterday I had indian but hey! It’s neck to neck… If only I had a hard copy of this blog instead of my iPad I would make the two “competitors” hug before getting back to work.
oh one last thing, to Joe, vincent and all the other super stars commenting above….. Fighting over the Internet is like special Olympics even if you win..you’re still a retard.
Please live and let live.
May god bless all you sinners,
(mh)
You are indeed welcome, Mr Hut. Charity makes me feel better, you know.
Should you need anything else, just drop me a line here – this is where I live (sorry for squatting, Daphne).
I’ll be glad to oblige unless I’m busy fighting someone else.
Google still has this article up in its searches:
http://www.google.com.mt/#hl=mt&source=hp&q=Malta+Today+Students+to+protest+on+transport+reform&btnG=Fittex+bil-Google&bav=cf.osb&fp=ea7d17cfe0228329&biw=1680&bih=871
And when you click on the link…. an error message comes up.
Sorry!
We’re unable to locate the page you asked for. Well, actually, we did have the article, but it was a blatant copy/paste… and we chickened out…
There were instances where Malta Today has lifted entire sections of The Times articles and used them as background information.