Over the past several months, there have been numerous scandals regarding plagiarism that have become public.
First, award-winning historian Stephen Ambrose admitted to utilizing passages from other researchers without proper documentation or acknowledgment.
Next, in early February, various newspapers reported the scandal out of Kansas, in which a high school teacher resigned after a large number of high school students went unpunished after being caught plagiarizing a major course project.
And now, the most recent story to plague the media — that of Pulitzer Prize winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. Recently, Goodwin admitted that she plagiarized more passages in her book "The Fitzgeralds and The Kennedys" than she originally admitted in January.
We are only left to wonder, "Who's next?" Pope John Paul II? The Dalai Lama?
The situation is incredibly disheartening, especially to those who admire the brilliance and devotion associated with scholarly undertakings.
While I was angry at the Ambrose situation and disgusted at the Kansas scandal, Goodwin's admission of plagiarism infuriates me for several reasons.
First, when initially accused of plagiarizing portions of her "Kennedy" work, Goodwin admitted that several passages had been lifted, but she deliberately lied about the remainder of her work that was filled with stolen excerpts.
Secondly, Goodwin's excuse for the plagiarism was that it was "accidental" and due to "sloppy note taking" techniques. I find it hard to believe that a person who not only earns a doctorate in government from Harvard University but goes onto to teach at the Ivy League school for over ten years could emerge from a demanding environment with disorganized methods of research. The excuse just doesn't work.
Finally, Goodwin's personal relationships make her scholastic crime that much more appalling. Goodwin is married to Richard Goodwin, a former investigator who worked in the White House during both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Remember the movie "Quiz Show" about the game show scandals of 1950's?
Richard Goodwin is the man who discovered the cheating and corruption, and accordingly, brought the scandal to light. How can someone who spends her life with an investigator devoted to discovering lying and cheating be unclear about what is right and what is wrong? It just doesn't make sense.
Since the Goodwin scandal has been exposed, there have been numerous actions taken against her. For example, Goodwin's regular stint on "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer" has been suspended, while her speaking engagement at the commencement ceremony for the University of Delaware has been canceled due to student uproar. But is this enough? I think not.
Goodwin's book "The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys" was an instrumental part of her career. Consequently, because the foundation of her career was built upon one huge lie, her succeeding accomplishments must be questioned and possibly revoked.
In particular, I believe that all the awards that Goodwin received for the Kennedy book, including the Literary Guild Award, should be taken away.
Furthermore, I believe that the committees for the Pulitzer Prize should conduct an investigation as to whether portions of her book on the Roosevelts, for which she won the 1995 Pulitzer, have been plagiarized as well.
Ideally, Goodwin's Pulitzer Prize should be revoked; she is clearly not worthy of it. Allowing her to keep the award is the same as allowing a warmonger to be given the Nobel Peace Prize — it is hypocrisy in its purest form.
While some may argue that my feelings towards Goodwin are harsh, and that some compassion should be felt towards a woman who has lost her career over a mistake she made 15 years ago, I don't agree.
Goodwin deliberately stole another person's work and used it to advance in a career in which she had no intention of being honest.
She is a disgrace to every student and every professional scholar who works hard every day to advance knowledge in the humanities.
In many ways, Goodwin has gotten off easy. Hopefully, this will be the last academia will have to hear from her.
Karen Engler is an English literature graduate student. Reach her at karen.engler@asu.edu.
