Here’s a great example of how journalism isn’t necessarily all about going out and getting a fresh story — sometimes, it’s just re-writing what’s already been reported.
I was researching watersheds a few months ago and I came across a story about San Francisco’s creeks in an issue of the Examiner from 1989. Then I found another one from 1998 that was awfully similar. Like, verbatim.
Turns out, this isn’t exactly plagiarism, since the same reporter (Lisa Krieger) wrote both stories, a decade apart. Here’s a comparison:
Who knows what prompted the Examiner to do a rewrite on a story that hadn’t changed much in 9 years, but it sure is thrifty of them. I wrote to Lisa to ask for details and she never responded.
Here’s the articles themselves:
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I'm a writer and photographer in San Francisco, curious about how people can get away with writing all day while also being able to afford to buy groceries. 