Everyday Ethics

Behind every writer is an army of friends, family members, editors and colleagues. They are the unofficial researchers, the invisible test market for new ideas and arguments, the "thought farmers," who help grow the writer's work.

I believe Maureen Dowd's explanation that she inadvertently plagiarized Joshua Micah Marshall's Talking Points Memo post in her Sunday column. What Dowd says she did -- take what she thought were her friend's words and make them her own -- is understandable. Yet, it is inexcusable.

What Dowd didn't know was that her friend was posturing, presenting Marshall's argument as if it were an original thought. So when Dowd lifted what she thought were her friend's words, she was actually re-stealing something. But because this is Dowd, the high liberal priestess of biting political criticism, the woman who excoriated Joe Biden for plagiarism, her crime is further stained by an air of hypocrisy.

Thus, she is busted and will be virtually eviscerated by her enemies. And it was all so avoidable.

If you find yourself within a columnist's inner circle, you are likely to see evidence of your influence in their work. That's flattering and appropriate. But when you see your actual words, strung together as you uttered them or typed them, you might feel a bit used.

Technology is informing and even changing that practice. We live in a digital era of fast-paced, open-source communication. Yet, a new ethic of transparency and attribution is emerging. Dowd, who is part of the old guard of thought leaders, appears to have a somewhat dormant Twitter account (although it may not be hers). She might want to log on and take note of this new world, where we capitalize on the collective intelligence of many, and give credit where credit is due.

This is known as the retweet, the moment when you send out the thought of another, because you find it funny, clever or insightful, while giving full credit to the original source. It has the same effect as forwarding an e-mail. The original thought is shared, while the original author's stake is preserved.

There is nothing shameful in the retweet. It's not a sign of weakness or failure. Instead, it is an acknowledgment that no one person has a lock on originality or cleverness.

Granted, some of the people within a writer's circle don't want credit or acknowledgment. I'll bet Dowd's friend is thankful for that anonymity. Still, a nod to those who shape your thinking is a sign of intellectual honesty, and Dowd could use that right now.