Why do newspapers pay salaries or royalties to their writers? The answer is simple: To ensure that original content is produced whether it is a news article or commentary in the form of columns.Let's turn to the readers. What do readers expect from writers when they pick up a newspaper? Once again, the basic expectation is straightforward: That the writers share their own valuable knowledge and information.Thus, the expectations of both the newspaper board and readers coincide quite nicely on this matter when you compare the two. With this in mind, let's look for answers to the following questions.Can a columnist use information or news produced and shared by another writer, reporter or a social media user without giving credit where it is due?The answer is simply, no. Doing this is called plagiarism, one of the most important issues - not to mention one of the most unethical - when it comes to written content today.Moving on to the next question: Can a columnist copy and use the wording, style and approach produced and used by another writer or reporter when it comes to addressing a subject?Once again, the answer is no. This is another type of plagiarism and is aptly called "stylistic plagiarism." It is unethical.Let's look at the final question: Can a columnist use the theories and analysis of others without naming them to peddle those insights as their own?You guessed it, they cannot. This unethical practice is called plagiarism of ideas. We all know these practices are unethical in theory but, when it comes to practice, things start to get out of hand and after a few offhand sentences that toe the line, we are faced with serious breaches of ethics.Too many to countThis is just one facet of the plagiarism issue that we face today. We are not even including the vast array of possible consequences and problems with copy pasting entire sentences and passages in news articles nor are we focusing on adding bylines to news articles from news agencies. The plagiarism issue in media is widespread and quite difficult to pin down in a single sitting. These are all forms of plagiarism, yet its range is even more problematic. This has been one of the most important issues with Turkish media for a long time.Everyone who works in the media industry should remember and adhere to the ethics about plagiarism. Although it goes without saying that some misconceptions persist among journalists who say that only a columnist is susceptible to the consequences of plagiarism, all members of the media can be affected by the consequences of this act.The way forward is clear but only if they are enforced. A writer cannot steal information, ideas or style of others and present them to their colleagues and readers as their own. Leaving aside the fancy words, let's call it as it is: Fraud. Instead, give credit where it is due.Skirting around the truthGranted, using quotation marks to quote the work of others does not guarantee that all is well. Mere mention of the source of your information does not give you, as a writer, the green light to use the words of others in your own authorship.You cannot skirt around the issue by saying, "This is what he thinks and I agree." After all, the readers can go to the original source of the information you provide themselves - especially considering the wealth of information available on the internet. Readers expect to find your original ideas in the articles you write - not the insight of the person you quote. It is also worth mentioning that editors-in-chief do not pay the persons you quote in your articles - they pay you. Therefore, make sure that you use the information to build up your own argument, rather than simply sharing the quote alone.The major, key expectation is that you write your own articles. That is what we as writers agree to do when we roll up our sleeves to write. Also, this is what readers believe you are doing when they subscribe to respective newspapers. Therefore, the quotations used in your articles should not take up more than half of your entire article.But what if it does? If this is the case, you either did not produce original content, or you failed to fulfill your responsibility toward the publisher or you did not meet the expectation of the reader.Turning a blind eye to the issue does not make it go away and without serious action from newspapers and columnists themselves, only one possible avenue remains. Readers will take the matter into their own hands and move to greener pastures. After all, haven't we all bemoaned the decline of conventional media for the last half-decade?