One of the first things we are taught in life is that it’s wrong to use someone else’s work in order to get ahead in life.

While several people choose to disregard this as a silly notion that is beneath them, I believe that it should be a way of life for everyone.

And while I in no way condone the practice of ripping off the work of another, I have to say that if you’re determined to cheat, you at least need to be smart enough to avoid getting caught.

Last month Hailey Mac Arthur, a University of Florida student, was caught using passages from articles in The New York Times in pieces she wrote for her summer internship. Mac Arthur was fired for plagiarism.

While we are certainly grateful that technology has made producing a newspaper more efficient, it has also resulted in greater chances of “copying-and-pasting” the work of other writers.

Though a news source’s most valuable charge is to inform the public, they also have a duty to use their own words and reporting skills in order to accomplish this.

Of course there are those who opt to take the easy way out or who allow their feelings to color their stories and it is because of them that people have lost faith in reporters.

Reporters aim at presenting a balanced look at things but oftentimes allow their personal feelings to influence their stories.

The Red & Black is a way for students to hone their talents and one way we gain experience is by being trusted to write our own articles, making sure that bias is restricted to the opinions page.

A story we ran on January 12 of this year – “Demographics merge to end Gaza violence” – was far from impartial. That article failed to address both sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

It was covering an event aimed at generating sympathy to the plight of Palestinians but it failed to mention an alternative angle on a conflict that has existed for centuries.

The American Society of Newspaper Editors has a code of ethics that requires reporters to be independent and impartial. We all work to bring the news to our readers in using our own words but not our own opinions.

Every single reporter holds a position of trust – we are accountable to you all and we strive to be worthy of our responsibility.

No one is perfect and we have all made our share of mistakes. However, upon realizing them we immediately attempt to rectify our errors and give you honest news.

The Red & Black has its own ethical principles based on those of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Our goal is to provide objective reporting while improving our writing. When mistakes are made – as is inevitable – we acknowledge and correct them.

Mac Arthur serves to illustrate the fact that in a time where reporters have easier access to global news, there are still those who opt to take the easy way out, too lazy to come up with words of their own.

All industries have people who seek personal gain at the expense of morality but the media needs to be held to a higher standard. We cannot allow ourselves to slack off and provide incomplete or altered information. We owe it to ourselves as journalists and to you as our readers.

- Megan Otto is a page designer for The Red & Black.