On August 11, 2008, Republican presidential hopeful John McCain gave a speech on the Russian- Georgian dispute in the Georgian region of South Ossetia. Shortly thereafter, an editor for Wikipedia pointed out that sections of McCain's speech were remarkably similar to Wikipedia's page on Georgia.
Example of Alleged Plagiarism
- Wikipedia: "...one of the first countries in the world to adopt Christianity as an official religion"
- McCain: "...one of the world's first nations to adopt Christianity as an official religion"
McCain Georgia Crisis Speech News
Political Insider: Did McCain Plagiarize His Speech on the Georgia Crisis? (August 11, 2008)
Power Line: An Unwarranted Shot at McCain (August 11, 2008)
Wonkette: John McCain Plagiarizes Common Proper Nouns... (August 11, 2008)
Yahoo! News: McCain warns Russians of "severe, long-term negative consequences" (August 11, 2008)
Wikipedia: Georgia
Reuters Video: McCain urges UN: Act on Russia (Time: 3:07)
References
Fast Facts
-
Fact:
Three instances of apparent plagiarism were reported
-
Fact:
Speech was delivered in Erie, Pennsylvania
-
Fact:
Wikipedia editor emailed Political Wire regarding the alleged plagiarism
-
Fact:
Wikipedia is a free reference site, but asks that users cite the information source
-
Fact:
Wikipedia can be edited by anyone, so its content may not always be completely accurate
