The Economist…Plagiarists?

In a ridiculous attempt to defraud its readers into believing the idea was unique, The Economist has launched an application that seems eerily similar to the “If The World Could Vote?” project’s application – which was launched months ago and continues to gain popularity.  Trying to capitalize on that site’s popularity, Economist?  I think not.  This is the age of social media.  This story was first reported in a Marketing Safari post entitled, The Economist Copied Our Idea, which was published yesterday.

News of The Economist’s plagiarism will begin circulating and perhaps taint their reputation in the eyes of like-minded people.  The least they could do was give credit where credit is due.  And why go through the trouble of creating their own app in the first place?  Why not simply do a review of the original and link to it?  The purpose of the original project, I’m guessing, is to get an idea of the world’s consensus on the issue…at least from an Internet user’s perspective, that is.  Nice job, Economist…way to damage your own reputation and accomplish absolutely nothing constructive in the process.

Spread the word that plagiarism isn’t acceptable…even when the plagiarist is The Economist!  This just serves as further illustration of the importance of the 2008 Presidential election.  Hopefully we can restore the sense of right vs. wrong that used to result in plagiarists being labeled as the bottom-feeders they are.  If you’re as saddened and outraged by this as I am, feel free to cast some votes for the story on Digg and spread the word!  Digg the original.  Don’t forget to Digg the plagiarism story, too!