Copyrighting material is extremely important. Ever since we were kids we have been drilled by our teachers in our writing and english classes to attribute our borrowed information to the person who stated it. Without copyrights anyone could go out and sing a Michael Jackson song for instance, and claim that it is theirs. Copyright laws have made it easier for people to protect their work, but at the same time it has become a concern. With the advancement of internet and other technology information is easier to access than ever, and once something is posted on the internet is remains there indefinitely. This can be very helpful when looking for resources, but it also gives abundant access for people to take the ideas of other people.
The issue of copyrighting is one that is particularly important in my field of studies. Plagiarizing in the field of journalism is an ever increasing offense. For instance Jayson Blair made it very apparent that it happens even at one of the most prestigious newspapers in the country. To make this worse, there is even evidence that he had plagiarized for all four years he had written for The New York Times. (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/national/11PAPE.html?pagewanted=1) This is much worse of a problem because it diminishes public trust in journalists particularly when in happens within a respected newspaper.
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