Publish and Peril - From Kamala Harris to Claudine Gay

 "Publish." In the print era that was the mandate to either make the leap into the big time or to accelerate an upward trajectory. But, now, we are bearing witness to the risk which comes with publishing, be it a book or academic papers.

On the hot seat for alleged plagiarism is Kamala Harris, along with the co-author Joan O'C Hamilton for the 2009 book "Smart on Crime." Publishd by Chronicle Books, it appeared just before Harris' 2010 campaign for the job of California Attorney General.

In timing so close to the election (which makes us suspicious of motivation) conservative activist/journalist Christopher Rufo released information about alleged instances of plagiarism. They include almost verbatim material published in the book without attribution from sources such as the Urban Institute, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Wiki and AP. 

Meanwhile, according to an accidentally released memo at Chronicle Books, Rufo sizes up the publisher's response as in a crisis mode. But what about what is being experienced within the Harris campaign itself?  There should be a lot of damage control going on.

It is accepted in some circles that the government's last-minute investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails helped sink her in Election 2016. Could this kind of accusation also suck away votes from Harris? The story is gaining traction. 

So much is at stake. That ranges from the massive funding of the campaign, be it big-time donors like LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman or master fundraisers such as law firm Paul Weiss' Brad Karp, to those investing lots of volunteer time like Uber's head legal man Tony West to endorsers like Melinda French Gates.  

It was the plagiarism issue which helped topple Harvard president Claudine Gay. Oh, a lot else negative was going on but that seemed to create a tipping point kind of negative force field of public opinion. 

For several years I had taught at universities in Michigan, Pittsburgh and Connecticut. What constituted plagiarism was made very clear to students. Laziness in not bothering to cite sources or mere carelessness wouldn't get them off the hook from possible serious consequence. Both highly educated, Harris and Gay were aware of that fundamental in producing written work. The latter has already been punished. What about the former?

Here in Cochise County, Arizona, there is a brilliant snail-mail campaign promo. Essentially it is a compact Dem cheat sheet flyer which simplifies who and what to vote for. At the top is listed Harris. That is in contrast to all the other clunky mailers from both parties.  

Should another snail-piece come out explaining why we should still vote for Harris, despite the plagiarism allegations?

Life is hard. Business is even more difficult these days. Get answers – and relief. Jane Genova is a results-driven intuitive coach, tarot reader and content-creator related to careers. Complimentary consultation (please text/phone 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com)