What is plagiarism, and how can it be avoided in news writing?

• A. Presenting others' work as your own; avoid by proper quotation, paraphrase with citation, and attribution.
• B. Creating your own content only with no sources.
• C. Using other people's ideas without citation.
• D. Copying text verbatim without quotation marks.

Answer: (B)

Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own. In news writing, that means using information, phrases, or reporting from another journalist or outlet without giving proper credit. To avoid it, always use direct quotes with clear attribution to the speaker or source, paraphrase information in your own words and still cite the source, and attribute facts, data, or ideas to their origin. This helps readers see what came from others and what came from your own reporting. When in doubt, cite the source and distinguish your analysis from reported material. The idea behind avoiding plagiarism is to be transparent about where information comes from and to give credit where it’s due.