John Merrill: Plagiarizer or Not?

It's debatable whether John Merrill was merely borrowing a few quotes from senior staff writer, Anna Koeppel, or whether he was lifting her hard work and journalistic ability for his own. While Koeppel wrote a news article explaining a new department at MU, Merrill wrote a column regarding the nascent of the department. He used the same quotes as she did; however, he added a bit of his own spin and wit into the story. HE could totally have avoided the accusation of plagiarism had he simply given Koeppel credit for her quotes. It seems that his punishment for the aleged plagiarism was a bit harsh, as he was fired from The Missourian the next day. Had he been a bit less careless, this unfortunate occurrence would not have been. As an alternative, a more reasonable punishment would have been suspension form the paper and a formal apology. Instead he was dealt a hand of shame and a damaged reputation. It doesn't seem to me that he plagiarized; he was just too lazy and caught up in his own work to realize that it is essential to give credit where credit is deserved.