Glenn Beck - Plagiarist?

[fng13]

Originally Posted by Sigaba

Donald Trump, Don King, Sean Combs, Jennifer Lopez, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Rupert Murdoch might disagree. They seem to have done all right despite ample amounts of controversy in their personal and professional lives.

Here's the thing, FNG3. Right, wrong, people "screw" and get "screwed" in business and politics all the time. But those who operate in those environments know that's just the way things go. The same person who got the shaft today will break bread with the guy who shafted him a week later to talk about a new venture.

To be clear, I'm not an admirer of Mr. Beck. And I think it is a mistake to use him as a single datum point that "proves" broader assertions about everyone else.

Actually the argument I just laid out before you posted this shows that Beck's credibility is hurt by bad business practices not that everyone elses credibility is hurt because Beck has bad business practices.

Also I hope you don't really have that cinical of an outlook on the business world that people just get screwed all the time and that has no effect on further business practices by the screwer.


I would also question the credibility of most of those you listed. Credibility as what a celebrity? You are right I doubt that there credibility has suffered as far as sports/movies go. But it certainly does not help there case when they try to take a side on political matters, charities, etc.

Also by my saying that something hurts ones credibility does not mean that it destroys all credibility. It simply implies that it makes them less credible then they would have been had they not engaged in nafarious activity.


EDITED TO ADD: I am going away for the weekend so I won't be able to address any refutations until late sunday or monday.

[Green Light]

Sir,

What I have said is not circular reasoning.

You aren't destined for 18F school.

Have you ever actually been in business or are you just an MBA student? I have. There will always be controversy when you're in business. Why? Because you will have competitors.

What do competitors do? They advertise and show that their product is better than yours.

How do they do that? Two ways, their either show that their product is better, or they lie and say that their product is better.

So what? The market will either figure it out or they'll go with the slicker advertising.

You didn't say that Beck had controversy in a business dealing, you said "dealings". You implied that shady deals are a habitual business practice of his. You have neither shown this nor have you shown that there was a shady deal with his book. To the contrary, there are posts by me and others that show to the contrary. What you did was say that he has "controversy."

Once again, so what? Who made the claim? The Huffington Post, same time they said that his poetry was bad when the bad poetry was Kipling. So who is the Huff Po, really? Who is behind the curtain? Who pays the bills? There's the competitor.

Have any of the contributors complained? No. He pays his company top dollar, gives them HUGE benefits, and pays for 100% of them.

I know some things about him that you don't and, frankly, won't share. But knowing these things puts him in a context you don't have, just as you don't and won't understand the QPs here. He's the real thing. What he says is what he really believes. He doesn't make things up on his show. I know that for a fact.

For anyone to imply that he isn't honest, or deal honestly with people pisses me off. I have absolutely no problem with anyone disagreeing with him or not liking him personally. That just life. We all disagree here from time to time. But to say or imply that he's dishonest, you've got the wrong guy.

[Sigaba]

Originally Posted by fng13

Also I hope you don't really have that [cynical] of an outlook on the business world that people just get screwed all the time and that has no effect on further business practices by the screwer.

Is it cynical or realistic? Earlier this week I was invited to have dinner with three bosses from three different companies. Over drinks, one of them told me how my boss, whose sense of competitiveness is legendary, had screwed him over a couple of times and yet the had gone on to work together and eventually remained friends. This same boss later mentioned how he was supporting colleagues at his previous firm even though the bosses at that firm had screwed him over big time (and were still doing by telling clients he'd "retired.") Why? Because it is about professionalism, customer service, and finding ways to make more money

Originally Posted by fng13

I would also question the credibility of most of those you listed. Credibility as what a celebrity? You are right I doubt that there credibility has suffered as far as sports/movies go. But it certainly does not help there case when they try to take a side on political matters, charities, etc.

It is so good to know you've got it all figured out.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by SF-TX

Is it?

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201006160019

And so it goes...
Richard

[SF-TX]

Originally Posted by Richard

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201006160019

And so it goes...
Richard

First the Huffington Post and now Media Matters?

About Us

Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.

Launched in May 2004, Media Matters for America put in place, for the first time, the means to systematically monitor a cross section of print, broadcast, cable, radio, and Internet media outlets for conservative misinformation — news or commentary that is not accurate, reliable, or credible and that forwards the conservative agenda — every day, in real time.

Using the website mediamatters.org as the principal vehicle for disseminating research and information, Media Matters posts rapid-response items as well as longer research and analytic reports documenting conservative misinformation throughout the media. Additionally, Media Matters works daily to notify activists, journalists, pundits, and the general public about instances of misinformation, providing them with the resources to rebut false claims and to take direct action against offending media institutions.

Source

Some of the books written by staff at Media Matters:

Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush (Free Press, 2006)

The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy (Crown, May 2004)

Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative (Crown, March 2002)

Source

[Richard]

"Reading is my favorite hobby," he says. But, he confesses, "I don't write. I speak. I get bogged down in writing."

Which is why he takes a team approach to writing his own books, including his first political thriller, The Overton Window (Threshold, $25), on sale Tuesday.

On the title page, Beck shares credit with three contributors. He calls the conspiracy novel "my story," but he says Jack Henderson, one of his contributors, "went in and he put the words down."

<snip>

As for his team approach to writing, Beck says, "There's clearly no way that I'm sitting behind a typewriter or word program and pounding this out. ... I have my vision and need someone to make sure that vision stays there."

Balfe offers this explanation: "Glenn has a three-hour radio show every morning. That's obviously 100% Glenn. But if you wanted to translate that into a book, you could take those transcripts. But then, someone has to go in and make it sound good to read in that format. And that's the way I describe the writing. It's all Glenn, but you've got to have the right thriller technique," which is where the contributors come in.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/n...eck14_CV_N.htm

Notice the difference in 'contributors' between this novel and Arguing With Idiots: How To Stop Small Minds And Big Government.

http://www.amazon.com/Arguing-Idiots...der_1416595015

What a stand-up guy...especially if there's $$ to be made.

Try this technique in high school or college and see where it gets you.

FWIW - Beck graduated from Sehome High School in June 1982 and briefly attended Yale University in 1996, taking one theology class, "Early Christology," and then dropping out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Beck

Perhaps Beck - a reformed alcoholic and illegal substance abuser who has claimed to have ADHD and spent more time hanging out in the parking lot than in school - doesn't really understand what any of this means. But many people do.

And so it goes...

Richard's $.02

[Todd 1]

After filtering out the media bias’ it seems to me that Beck had an idea or “vision” for a book and enlisted the help of others to get it on paper. I can only speculate but I’m sure a contract was signed and the book was planned out before it was written or published and everyone’s pocketbook is much bigger now. I see no evidence of plagiarism or shady business practices.


"Try this technique in high school or college and see where it gets you."

-Collaboration is forbidden in high school or college?

"FWIW - Beck graduated from Sehome High School in June 1982 and briefly attended Yale University in 1996, taking one theology class, "Early Christology," and then dropping out."

-Higher education is not necessary for success, many college dropouts have “made it”.

"Perhaps Beck - a reformed alcoholic and illegal substance abuser who has claimed to have ADHD and spent more time hanging out in the parking lot than in school - doesn't really understand what any of this means. But many people do."

-Yes, Beck was a drunk and drug addict.
-Why would lie about ADHD?

So I get it right, Beck is an alcoholic drug addict college dropout plagiarist who also claims to have ADHD and no understanding of what any of it means...Me tryng to be sarcastic, I like Beck.

[Richard]

I see no evidence of plagiarism or shady business practices.

Beck's lone name on the cover of this latest book infers (actually, more than infers) authorship and written notation in the face page of the special autographed edition overtly claims it.

Beck's previous books list 'wrtiers' and 'contributors' to his works - this one only lists 'contributors' but fails to list any 'writers' although it is obvious Beck did not write the book as he and others stated in the interview with USAToday. Why?

No plagiarism? No shady business practices? No dice.

However - YMMV - and so it goes...

Richard's $.02

[Sigaba]

Originally Posted by Todd 1

Collaboration is forbidden in high school or college?

It would depend upon the assignment. If it is an individual project, the rules as written (rather than enforced) are clear. Presenting someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Incorporating someone else's work into your own without full attribution is also plagiarism. Accepting someone else's guidance can also be considered plagiarism. (This last one was news to me when I learned of it. Since then and to this day, when I give people feedback on academic-related assignments, I will only suggest what changes might be made, not give exact recommendations.)

IMO, the 'big picture' issue here is that Mr. Beck's publishers have brought to market a book that seems at first glance to be an original work by Mr. Beck. Later, one learns that not only is it a collaborative work but that central elements of the story line appeared in a previously published work.

Mr. Beck is positioning himself as an important figure in mass media. A lot of good people are investing their time, their money, and most of all their trust in him. They are using information and analysis he provides to sort through the issues of the day. How does the marketing of this work make them look? In my own personal opinion, it makes them look like they're backing a guy who is not terrifically interested in doing his best to justify their trust.

(FWIW, I got a taste of this same medicine when the Stephen Ambrose scandal broke. As a professor, Ambrose admonished a lecture hall of undergraduate students not to cheat if they wanted to play "in the big leagues." Down the line, one finds he'd been walking differently than he had been talking.)

YMMV.

[alright4u]

Originally Posted by Green Light

Show me where he always implies conspiracy.

Show me where he has a pattern of shady business dealings - show me where he doesn't deal fairly with his business partners.

Show me where all people in the spotlight are in some way hippocrites.

You made these blanket statements, defend them.

I agree with you. I like Beck. At least he does not play suck up to Obama. He darn sure has exposed the progressive movement, plus much more. Perhaps CNN, MSNBC, NBC, and CBS are easier on some ears? I do not know. I definitely am no O'Reilly fan, much less any Geraldo, Shep Smith, or Juan Williams of PBS. The brilliant mind is the paralyzed Krauthammer. I respect him.

[Todd 1]

No plagiarism? No shady business practices? No dice.

I just don’t see plagiarism, which part(s) of the book are not beck’s ideas or vision? I think he hired some people to put his stuff into the “thriller technique” that he wanted, like a ghostwriter type of deal. The msm have been blasting Beck since day one, so until I see some concrete evidence of actual plagiarism, I just don’t buy it.

[ZonieDiver]

Originally Posted by Todd 1

No plagiarism? No shady business practices? No dice.


I just don’t see plagiarism, which part(s) of the book are not beck’s ideas or vision? I think he hired some people to put his stuff into the “thriller technique” that he wanted, like a ghostwriter type of deal. The msm have been blasting Beck since day one, so until I see some concrete evidence of actual plagiarism, I just don’t buy it.

Did you read the excerpts from both books in the article? If you did, how could you not see that significant ideas, plot threads, and some actual language was 'lifted' from one to the other.

That is quite different from hiring a 'ghost writer' to pen an original work from your ideas. INHO, Beck is in love with the sound of his own voice, an often self-congratulatory voice. He is in love with raking in $$$. To me, regardless of his political 'philosophy,' that puts him inthe boat with Olbermann, O'Reilly, Lmbaugh, Matthews, and other media 'news' and 'commentary' personalities. Like them, he is more about generating 'heat' instead of 'light.'. Their main intention is to get you to 'tune in again tomorrow.'. A pox upon them all, sez I.

[Todd 1]

Originally Posted by ZonieDiver

Did you read the excerpts from both books in the article? If you did, how could you not see that significant ideas, plot threads, and some actual language was 'lifted' from one to the other.

That is quite different from hiring a 'ghost writer' to pen an original work from your ideas. INHO, Beck is in love with the sound of his own voice, an often self-congratulatory voice. He is in love with raking in $$$. To me, regardless of his political 'philosophy,' that puts him inthe boat with Olbermann, O'Reilly, Lmbaugh, Matthews, and other media 'news' and 'commentary' personalities. Like them, he is more about generating 'heat' instead of 'light.'. Their main intention is to get you to 'tune in again tomorrow.'. A pox upon them all, sez I.

A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written material. In music, ghostwriters are used in film score composition, as well as for writing songs and lyrics for popular music styles ranging from country to hip-hop.

Ghostwriters may have varying degrees of involvement in the production of a finished work; while some ghostwriters are hired to edit and clean up a rough draft, in other cases, ghostwriters do most of the writing based on an outline provided by the credited author. For some projects, ghostwriters will do a substantial amount of research, as in the case of a ghostwriter who is hired to write an autobiography for a well-known person. Ghostwriters are also hired to write fiction in the style of an existing author, often as a way of increasing the number of books that can be published by a popular author (e.g., Tom Clancy, James Patterson). Ghostwriters will often spend from several months to a full year researching, writing, and editing nonfiction works for a client, and they are paid either per page, with a flat fee, or a percentage of the royalties of the sales, or some combination thereof. The ghostwriter is sometimes acknowledged by the author or publisher for his or her writing services.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostwriter

[Richard]

Must be a Beck University course.

Become a 'writer' without ever writing an original word

http://www.shortcutpublications.co.u...cheatbook.html

And so it goes...

Richard

[fng13]

Originally Posted by Green Light

You aren't destined for 18F school.

Have you ever actually been in business or are you just an MBA student? I have. There will always be controversy when you're in business. Why? Because you will have competitors.

So if there is ALWAYS controversy in business then how do you not think that this deal with Beck doesn't count as a controversy?

You didn't say that Beck had controversy in a business dealing, you said "dealings". You implied that shady deals are a habitual business practice of his. You have neither shown this nor have you shown that there was a shady deal with his book. I don't know how else to show that there was a shady deal other than the articles that have been presented To the contrary, there are posts by me and others that show to the contrary. What you did was say that he has "controversy." Isn't the fact that several people are on opposite sides of this issue and continue to discuss it a sign that it is a controversial topic?

Controversy

–noun, plural -sies.
1. a prolonged public dispute, debate, or contention; disputation concerning a matter of opinion.
2. contention, strife, or argument.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/controversy

Once again, so what? Who made the claim? The Huffington Post, same time they said that his poetry was bad when the bad poetry was Kipling. So who is the Huff Po, really? Who is behind the curtain? Who pays the bills? There's the competitor.

Since someone earlier was using logical terms I refer you to the Ad hominem fallacy.

Main Entry: 1ad ho·mi·nem
Pronunciation: \(ˈ)ad-ˈhä-mə-ˌnem, -nəm\
Function: adjective
Etymology: New Latin, literally, to the person
Date: 1598
1 : appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect
2 : marked by or being an attack on an opponent's character rather than by an answer to the contentions made

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ad+hominem
Have any of the contributors complained? No. He pays his company top dollar, gives them HUGE benefits, and pays for 100% of them.

And I am even sure he makes them sign a contract...

I know some things about him that you don't and, frankly, won't share. But knowing these things puts him in a context you don't have, just as you don't and won't understand the QPs here. He's the real thing. What he says is what he really believes. He doesn't make things up on his show. I know that for a fact. So there really is going to be a new world currency?

For anyone to imply that he isn't honest, or deal honestly with people pisses me off. I have absolutely no problem with anyone disagreeing with him or not liking him personally. That just life. We all disagree here from time to time. But to say or imply that he's dishonest, you've got the wrong guy.

I am not trying to slander Beck's entire reputation here, but he is definately in a gray area on this issue.