During Friday, the Cultural News was able to reveal how the popular podcast Swedish murder stories plagiarized large parts of its material from various news magazines and blogs. But this was not noticed until after a book based on the podcast was released.
Daniel Westman, an expert in IT and media law, finds that the review of new media such as podcasts and blogs is inadequate.
- There seems to be a certain lack of knowledge. In general, I think that media scrutiny in society has been stepped down as our media habits have changed. Journalism surveillance has not kept pace with podcasts, blogs and influencers. This is undoubtedly a big problem, says Daniel Westman and continues:
- It's a new market, it's new power holders. Some influencers have more followers than big media, but what is done there is not as much scrutinized.
Who takes responsibility?If a podcast lacks a responsible publisher, it is the people who contribute who are responsible for the content themselves, says Daniel Westman. Although a guest example would tell someone, the pod's creator still bears responsibility for what is said. However, when it comes to copyright issues, it does not matter as the responsibility for copyright infringement does not automatically rest on the responsible publisher.
Who should take responsibility for the plagiarism used in the podcast Swedish murder stories, Westman says there is no clear answer.
- It can certainly be that the media company behind it can be responsible. It is a bit of an assessment question who is considered to make this available. Then there may be an underlying settlement between them, where the podger guarantees that the material is his or her, but it is more than a matter between them.
What to do if you consider someone plagiarizing one's work?
- Step one is to contact the media house and say that you want compensation. It is hard to believe that a serious media company would not try to solve it. Then it may be that you do not agree. Then you can sue and claim compensation, and possibly damages.