So after being caught red-handed with a trove of plagiarised content allegedly authored (or stolen, as the case may be) by one of its “reporters” Jezreel Ines, “social news network” Rappler issues an “apology”.
In the last few days, Rappler has taken down more than one article published under the byline of researcher-writer Jezreel Ines.
Our internal investigation found that considerable parts of those articles had plagiarized academic research or journalistic work published elsewhere. The articles did not cite nor link back to the original sources, while their structure and flow also bore strong similarities with the earlier published materials, in violation of professional and ethical standards.
We deeply regret this incident, and apologize to the original authors and to our readers for this lamentable editorial lapse.
We value transparency and integrity in our work, and we are taking steps to make sure this does not happen again. Rappler is working toward a just resolution of the incident, even as we acknowledge that possible sanctions for plagiarism, a cardinal sin in journalism, include dismissal of the personnel involved. Rest assured that corrective measures are being taken.
More like a non-apology, actually. To be fair, the copywriter of this statement calls the incident a “lamentable editorial lapse” and assures us of the “corrective measures” being taken by the organisation. Consider too how long Rappler took to issue their “apology”. Allegations of plagiarism first broke on the 9th December when a certain Louie Gangcuangco, a doctor of medicine based in Hawaii called out content on Rappler he described as “copied and pasted verbatim”.
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Considering that Rappler habitually reports on itself and its social climbing CEO Maria Ressa with such gusto, it would be interesting to see how this latest scandal plays out. Will Rappler keep its readers updated with regular “reports” on the progress of said “corrective measures”?
For now, abangan ang susunod na kabanata.
Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that (as of this writing) Ines’s profile remains online at the Rappler website here. It reads out…
Jezreel is a researcher-writer at Rappler mainly focused on governance and social issues.
He obtained his journalism degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman and was a news writer for its college publication, Tinig ng Plaridel. In his senior year, he won the top prize for community research in the Philippine Journalism Research Conference 2023 for his study on anxiety and depression among student journalists at UP Diliman.
As a student journalist, some of his stories were published by local and international news organizations that focus on education, labor migration, and the Bangsamoro/conflict in Mindanao. Jezreel has always aspired to bring to light stories of disempowered communities and special sectors in the Philippines.
Before joining Rappler, Jezreel was a news intern who wrote stories on community, religion, business, and transportation. He was also a Lead Mover for MovePH during the 2022 national elections.
Outside work, he loves to travel and talk about history, culture, and Taylor Swift music.
According to another source, Ines “is also a member of [Rappler‘s] fact-check team that debunks false claims that spread on social media.” One gets around to wondering then how many more of Ines’s sort infest the Rapplerette community and the broader community of “fact checkers” and “truth tellers” we are made to believe are the “good guys” in every story.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Well that sure says a lot about Rappler’s “Fake Fack checker” abilities said veracity. Like after Odette hit leaving the entire island of Negros Occidental without power for 30 days, Rappler threatened people posting photos of the damage with deletion of their FB accounts because they were posting “fake news”. Then Rappler went on to state that NOTHING WHATSOEVER HAPPENED IN NEGROS OCCIDENTAL.
Of course, vying for the title of the official fake news outlet GMA stated that Odette killed 50 in Leyte, while the Typhoon was 250km south is Leyte.
As for plaegerism, why should that surprise anyone? After all, how trustworthy do you really think any news network backed by the US CIA could possibly be!? Plus, who bothers to read Rappler anyway?
They don’t need readers or even advertising. They are paid by, both, the CIA & FB!