Student Monica Gaudio found one of her online articles published without permission in the print publication Cooks Source. Gaudio demanded an apology on Facebook and in the magazine, plus a small donation ($130) to the Columbia Journalism Review. Considering she caught the magazine dead to rights in an act of thievery, you'd think it would count itself lucky to get off so lightly.
Not Cooks Source. According to the article, here's the emailed reply from its editor:
But honestly Monica, the web is considered "public domain" and you should be happy we just didn't "lift" your whole article and put someone else's name on it! It happens a lot, clearly more than you are aware of, especially on college campuses, and the workplace. If you took offence and are unhappy, I am sorry, but you as a professional should know that the article we used written by you was in very bad need of editing, and is much better now than was originally. Now it will work well for your portfolio. For that reason, I have a bit of a difficult time with your requests for monetary gain, albeit for such a fine (and very wealthy!) institution. We put some time into rewrites, you should compensate me! I never charge young writers for advice or rewriting poorly written pieces, and have many who write for me... ALWAYS for free!The magazine's Facebook page is filled with angry comments, none of which, from my cursory examination, supports the editor's position. What a shocker.
Anybody with a normal IQ and a normal ego understands why this is wrong. I don't know if the editor, who appears to be someone by the name of Judith Griggs, is mentally disadvantaged or narcissistic. Her attitude in that email and in the one comment I saw from her on the Facebook page, though, makes me wonder if she ought not to visit a mental health professional.
Or I suppose she could just be scum.
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