A FRESHMAN Journalism student is now under investigation for allegedly plagiarizing an article from Metro magazine.
The student’s article “How to Get that Second Date,” published in the Faculty of Arts and Letters’ student journal, The Flame, last September, appeared similar to Metro’s earlier article “Stealing that Second Date,” published last April and written by Rovilson Fernandez. The similarity was revealed by other Journalism students who had read the April issue of Metro.
The student, however, denied the allegation.
In the October issue of The Journalese, the official newsletter of the Journalism Society, the student claimed it was Fernandez who copied the article.
As if to confirm her claims, she circulated an affidavit purportedly signed by Fernandez. In the affidavit, Fernandez admitted the plagiarism.
However, in an e-mail to Joselito Zulueta, UST Journalism Society adviser, ABS-CBN Publishing, which publishes Metro, said Fernandez had denied signing the affidavit.
The case was forwarded to the ArtLets Students’ Welfare and Development Board.
ArtLets dean Dr. Belen Tangco refused to comment pending the outcome of the investigation.
In 2001, a former Varsitarian writer was advised by the Office for Student Affairs to transfer to another school after plagiarizing parts of an article. John Rheeno T. Cabangcalan and Mary Elaine V. Gonda with reports from The Journalese
