Medium Has a Major Plagiarism Problem
By: Jeff Barton
Tags: Ｍedium, Creativity, Writing, Plagiarism, Business

Medium Has a Major Plagiarism Problem

Photo by Dan Counsell on Unsplash

I really didn’t want to write this. I’ve been contemplating whether publishing this story will be detrimental to me, my writing, and my publications, for a while. I’ve read stories about how writers are put into Medium jail for criticizing the platform. But I can’t ignore the problem anymore. I’m tired of having views, reads, and money taken away from me while plagiarizers are running rampant on Medium. I’m sick of having to report people all the time because Medium doesn’t seem to take the problem seriously.

You should be sick of it, too.

Since August, I have found over 30 people plagiarizing. I have also been in contact with other editors and writers who have found many more. I reported all the people to Medium and the accounts found to be in violation have been suspended, but this is only after being caught.

The people I’ve found have written hundreds of stories, all behind the paywall and making money. They have published their stories in some of the largest and most popular publications on Medium. These “writers” publish several times a day and are taking money, respect, and views away from legitimate writers daily.

Typically, I don’t look for them as they either request to be a writer for my publication or submit plagiarized articles. One even left a private note on a draft submitted to my publication.

However, last week, I took a few hours to look for people who are plagiarizing. In those couple of hours, I found eight people. Yesterday, I found four more in about an hour. The stories they publish are usually word-for-word copies of articles from the internet and they even copy stories on Medium and republish under their account. Most of them are non-paying members and they write really technical articles having to do with every topic imaginable. Rarely are their stories personal, because that would mean they would actually have to write something themselves.

I have been able to find dozens with not much effort. Can you imagine how many of the 30,000 stories published daily on Medium are plagiarized? And how much money is being paid to these thieves instead of to you?

As someone who has been on the platform for three years as a paying member, I’ve seen Medium change. I’ve adapted to all those changes and am grateful for the opportunity to make money for my writing. I understand Medium does not owe me anything. It is their platform and they make the rules.

But if a business offers a platform I’m paying to be a member of, I expect them to provide a service that does not allow plagiarism to be so prevalent. I also expect procedures in place that can find and catch those who violate the rules. I expect standards.

When it comes to plagiarism, Medium is reactive, not proactive. They rely on people like me and you to report others instead of actually looking for them themselves. They prey on people trying to make money by promoting writers who promote Medium. Round and round you go, buying a membership, paying the marketer for their Medium course, and hoping one day you can quit your day job and write full time. Meanwhile, it has become a plagiarizer’s paradise, and those “writers” are laughing all the way to the bank while you, the legitimate writer, are clamoring for views and a few dollars per month.

Part of the problem is there is no standard for entry. Everyone is a “writer.” Anyone can join and publish a story. Anyone can also game the system it seems. Another problem is you don’t even have to be a paying member to profit. Have an email address? Congrats, you’re a writer!

Many of these “writers” are publication owners who accept anyone and everyone for the sake of growth and to line their own pockets. Along with plagiarized stories, they publish poorly written, unedited pieces regularly. It has become quantity over quality. Your well-written story that you research, wrote on your own, and spent hours perfecting gets lost in the noise of plagiarism and crap writing. Medium has become the place to make money for just being able to type, whether or not the letters make any sense.

If I sound a bit jaded and pissed off, it’s because I am.

Mostly because I have to compete with these plagiarizers who, after being suspended, can just come back, make another account, and steal some more. They can publish someone else’s well-written story in five minutes, get thousands of claps and views, repeat it several times a day, and take money from all those who are legitimate.

On top of that, I had a meeting with a representative from Medium’s Trust and Safety team at the end of September with the promise this issue was being worked on. In that meeting, they advised me they were investing in software to catch people and also trying to deter users before they sign up by various means. They told me the staff was having a two-hour meeting in mid-October regarding plagiarism, and they would advise me of the outcome and involve me in the process.

Since that meeting — and even though I’ve reported many more violators — I have not heard back. Because of that silence, I have to conclude they aren’t taking the issue seriously. And it makes me wonder if they even care.

I may shoot myself in the foot with this article. And maybe you don’t care about the plagiarism if you are one of the writers making a living here. I’ve observed numerous publications and writers who don’t seem to have any ethics as long as the money is flowing to them.

But I care. It’s frustrating to be part of a platform that allows this to take place and to feel like they are not doing everything in their power to stop it. I know I don’t have to write here. I can go somewhere else anytime I want. But Medium is a second home to me. I’ve poured my heart out on this platform, made lots of friends, and have grown tremendously since my first article. Medium has helped change my life. It feels like I’ve lost part of that when I see what it’s becoming.

So, my question for you Medium is: What is being done to combat this issue?

I will be more than happy to update this article if I receive a response.