Sandra Porch (SP) recently resigned as minister after revelations of plagiarism in her master's thesis. A student named Christopher Ritterager was the first to discover text unity.
Did my revelations lead to Porch's resignation? I think it's about something else.
As a student at BI Business School where I am currently working on my own Master's thesis, I value the importance of citations. with A case of self theft Fresh on my mind, a student was taken to the Supreme Court by the Ministry of Knowledge, last weekend I was prompted to investigate the academic past of Research and Higher Education Minister Sandra Porch (SP).
The first thing that caught my attention was the writing style. A few paragraphs down, I noticed a sudden change. Sentences are long, word choice is varied and style is formal. This unexpected change piqued my interest.
With a few keystrokes, the text was copied into Google, and I was presented with two nearly identical results. One is Porch's master's thesis from 2014 and the other is a 2013 report. Spurred on by this unexpected discovery, I did some reading. After a short discussion with the competent experts at the school, I was convinced of my case. I felt I could in good conscience I vent my frustration on Twitter.
Exquisite variety
The revelation quickly attracted public attention, and the Minister of Research soon realized the situation. A press conference was called a few hours later. Sandra Porch took the stage with a quick and respectful nod, a school example for other politicians in similar situations. No excuses, just an elegant type.
Christopher Reiterager
Finance student and farmer. He is also behind the profile @OsloStudenten on Twitter/X.
Personally, I suspect that it was only my revelations that led to her departure, rather than her keeping quiet about her own past mistakes. This became particularly problematic in view of the disproportionate effects experienced by students, which I consider trivial.
A master's degree is not required to be a minister, but the belief has been washed away. Fortunately, confidence can be restored over time. Porch was a good Minister of Agriculture.
Lack of humility
The Master's thesis of Health Minister Ingwil Kergol (AP) bears textual similarities to the work of others. If Kerkol also decides to resign, it will not be because of copying, but because of lack of trust.
Kergol's problem, as I see it, is a severe lack of humility and a tendency to change responses according to the situation. This is not a credibility building strategy. An immediate “mea culpa” may have at least dampened media interest. In politics, the divide in trust is much deeper and longer lasting. Recovering it becomes a challenge that surpasses the act that caused it.
From childhood we learn about cues and the consequences of cheating. After watching Daily News 18 22 January, Associate Professor Thomas Ladel downplays plagiarism as laziness, and I sit bewildered. Even if he changes his mind after new information comes to the table, the question remains: What can we as students believe when even respected academics are sending mixed signals? A clear and consistent definition of plagiarism and its consequences should not be too much to ask.
What are we as students to believe when even respected academics are sending mixed signals?
Media is thirsty for clicks
The Porch and Kergolin cases are different and have different contexts. Plagiarism is serious from an academic point of view anyway. Nevertheless, I ask myself: should such an exposure be decisive for a politician's career, what will this lead to next?
I'm annoyed that the media tends to exaggerate and create drama. They paint a picture where small sins like getting caught up in ticket control, flirting at the Christmas party or investing in private elderly care disqualify you from being a good politician.
Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not advocating serious wrongdoing like abuse of power or theft, but exaggeration of trivial matters annoys me.
Do journalists really have to dig through all the politicians' old papers and print sensational headlines on every missing quotation mark? Maybe they should. The same mistake can be disastrous if you are a young student. But journalists also need to look at themselves.
I believe politicians should be punished according to the seriousness and context of the case and not based on the bloodlust and clicks of the media circus.
What kind of politicians will we be left with in the future? Especially now that the youth's actions are immortalized in 4K resolution, whether we like it or not? Are we getting politicians who don't take risks and always stick to the rules? Undoubtedly there are some such needs, but do they really represent the people? I prefer politicians who take chances rather than politicians who dare not make mistakes.
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