So6ix Magazine steals its content!!
If you’ve never seen or heard of So6six Magazine, it’s probably because you use something a little softer with which to wipe your ass. However, you won’t find this publication on the paper goods aisle at Wal-Mart; you’ll have to pick one up from the rack next to the apartment guides and holistic medicine magazines at Perkins Restaurant and other fine establishments. To a journalist with a bad case of grammar-Nazism, So6ix has provided countless minutes of entertainment and reminded me that, in this tough job market, at least I don’t have to work there. It was with that thought in mind that I picked up the October 2009 edition of So6ix from the ground of Rib Crib’s parking lot.
That Zac Robinson interview by Brandy Morris on page 37… didn’t… feel… right. There were no photo credits. No introduction to the interview. No transitions into the quotes. There wasn’t even much of a story. After a not-so-in-depth search lasting a whole 45 minutes, I was able to find the original sources of five elements in Morris’s article.
Element 1 – Holiday Bowl photo of Zac Robinson, from Getty Images
Element 2 – Game photo of Andrew Lewis, from Football.com
Element 5 – Quote from Zac Robinson, which has been created from two separate articles, taken from Tulsaworld.com/SportsExtra and Ocolly.com.
A second Robinson “quote” appears to have been either entirely made up, or taken from a broadcast source. It reads, “”Dez knows where I am going to put the ball, and I know where he can go up and get it,” Robinson said. “Our goal is to put it in a spot where the defense can’t get it, when we do that it’s tough to beat, and Dez obviously makes great plays.”” If you recognize this quote from another source, please let that author know.
One person passing another’s work as her own is despicable. When the whole magazine supports such behavior, it’s criminal. At least six hard-working, underpaid journalists were copied without their permission, and So6ix Magazine has profited from that plagiarism. Plagiarism and copyright infringement threatens the credibility and viability of all creative professions. There can’t be a vibrant marketplace for content creators unless we work together to protect our content from thieves like Brandy Morris and publisher Jack McBride.
Curiously, So6ix has not yet put the October edition up on its Web site. I wish I could scan the offending pages and put them up here for you to compare yourself. But So6ix clearly states, “No part of this publication can be reproduced in whole or part, in any form, including electronic or photocopy, without prior written consent of Publisher,” and I choose to respect others’ copyrights. I have a hunch McBride would say “No” anyway.
