After learning all of my life about all of the good things Jane Goodall has done, I would have never thought something like her plagiarizing would occur. She's in pretty much every science textbook, and well known to students everywhere, but now her role-model status isn't so perfect anymore. There are a few issues with her new book, Seeds of Hope: Wisdom and Wonder From the World of Plants. She borrowed 12 passages, as well as other smaller pieces of writing without citing it. This is a very serious matter, and needs to be fixed.
While some people argue that the liability for the infraction is dependent upon a number of things, I believe that there are no excuses for plagiarism. At Episcopal, we believe this too, and if you get caught plagiarizing, you are punished. So, I believe that instead of correcting the mistake and apologizing like she did, she should not be allowed to publish the book or any new versions of it and sell it. It only seems fair that if you steal someone else's work, you should not be able to make money off of it. While people should recognize that what Jane Goodall did was wrong, I hope that her reputation is not tarnished and that she still gets credit for all of the many wonderful things she has done in this world.
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