Shiwani Srivastava

ALERT: If you happen to see an article that sounds suspiciously similar to this one, it turns out over 40% of an article that ran in the Wall Street Journal was plagiarized from this piece in Little India.

Here’s a link to the WSJ retraction: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125986170648374995.html. And here’s a link to the full text, as reported in the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/03/wall-street-journal-plagi_n_379272.html.

Here’s a full analysis of the extent to which plagiarism occurred:

EXAMPLE 1

Original From Little India:
Since nearly 40 percent of all H-1B visa holders are from India, the mounting layoffs are hitting Indian American professionals particularly harshly.

Plagiarism From WSJ:
Since nearly 40 percent of all H-1B visa holders are from India, the mounting layoffs are hitting Indian professionals particularly hard.

EXAMPLE 2

Source From Little India:
Niraj Sathaye (name changed to protect identity), an H-1B visa consultant for a major New York City firm, is among the tens of thousands of Indian professionals whose life has been upended by the current financial crisis. Sathaye was laid off in February, forcing him and his wife to sell or give away possessions that were too big to carry, and return to Mumbai from Jersey City in a matter of weeks.

Fake Source From WSJ:
Niraj Sharma, a New York City consultant, was forced to pack in his entire life in the U.S. and return to India within a month.

EXAMPLE 3

Original From Little India:
It is one of the major vulnerabilities for professionals on the H-1B visa. “The moment you don’t work, you’re out of status, you have no grace period,” said Seattle immigration attorney Tahmina Watson. Workers can either leave the country within a matter of days, or convert to a B1/B2 tourist visa, which doesn’t allow them to work, but buys them a few months to sell their homes and cars, make travel arrangements, or find a new school for their children.

Plagiarism From WSJ:
It is one of the major vulnerabilities for professionals on the H-1B visa. “The moment you don’t work, you’re out of status, you have no grace period,” said immigration attorney Tahmina Watson. Workers can either leave the country within a matter of days, or convert to a B1/B2 tourist visa, which doesn’t allow them to work, but buys them a few months to sell their homes and cars, make travel arrangements, or find a new school for their children.

EXAMPLE 4

Original From Little India:
As their fate becomes increasingly uncertain, a growing number of Indians in America — both temporary workers and permanent residents — are packing up and heading home to India.

Plagiarism From WSJ:
As their fate becomes increasingly uncertain, a growing number of Indians in America — both temporary workers and permanent residents who only a few years ago fought to win lucrative contracts from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — are now packing up and heading home to India.

EXAMPLE 5

Original From Little India:
They are in a state of limbo, ready to pick up and move wherever the economy or work takes them.

Plagiarism From WSJ:
H-1B visa holders say they feel they are in a state of limbo, ready to pick up and move wherever the economy or work takes them.

EXAMPLE 6

Original From Little India:
Sathaye does not rue his dilemma: “The H-1B process was clear and we knew its limitations. But the work experience in the U.S. was tremendously valuable and it provides us with leverage in Asia to prosper.”

Unlike previous generations of NRIs who permanently settled in homes and communities abroad, Sathaye sees himself as part of a new Indian nomadic class: “If the next opportunity is in the U.K. or Jhumritaliya, we will go there. In that regard, you can say we are mercenaries.”

“People have always moved to places of opportunity,” he said. “But while the U.S. will always be a beacon of opportunity, other countries have started competing with it …. For us, moving back to India is an option.”

Plagiarism From WSJ:
“The H-1B process was clear and we knew its limitations,” he reasons. But the work experience in the U.S. was tremendously valuable and it provides us with leverage in Asia to prosper.”

Unlike previous generations who permanently settled in the U.S., Sharma thinks of himself as part of a new Indian nomadic class: “If the next opportunity is in the U.K. or Africa, we will go there … People have always moved to places of opportunity. While the U.S. will always be a beacon of opportunity, other countries have also started competing with it.”

EXAMPLE 7

Original From Little India:
Some returnees are finding that adjusting to the move, especially for children, isn’t as easy as they might have hoped. Both India and they have changed during their stint abroad.

“We knew this wasn’t going to be a smooth ride or piece of cake for us. But it’s like you’re never happy; the grass is always greener on the other side,” said Sweta Patel, who moved last year from Folsom, Calif., to Bangalore.

She had immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 18 to attend college. After graduating, she went to work for Intel, got married, and settled in Sacramento. Her parents eventually made the move to America, too, which made it all the more surprising when she and her husband decided last year to move to Bangalore, where she telecommutes to her old job at Intel in California.

Plagiarism From WSJ:
Moving back to India is unsettling for immigrants after spending years living and working in the U.S. Both they and India have changed during their stint abroad. “We knew this wasn’t going to be a smooth ride or piece of cake for us. The biggest worry for us was not about moving here (to Bangalore), but about what we would do after this. Would we have to go to a different city in the U.S.? Could we go back to the Bay Area?” said Sweta Mehta, who moved last year from California to Bangalore.

She had immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 18 to attend college. After graduating, she went to work for Intel, got married, and settled in Sacramento. However, when she and her husband got laid off, they had to leave the U.S. and move to Bangalore.

EXAMPLE 8

Original From Little India:
“The bigger resistance for my wife was not about moving here (to Hyderabad), but about what we would do after this. Would we have to go to a different city in the U.S.? Could we go back to the Bay Area?” (Quote from Tanuj Vohra)

Plagiarism From WSJ:
“The biggest worry for us was not about moving here (to Bangalore), but about what we would do after this. Would we have to go to a different city in the U.S.? Could we go back to the Bay Area?” (Attributed to Sweta Mehta)

EXAMPLE 9

Original From Little India:
To smooth the transition, Patel and her family moved into an apartment complex that’s popular among returnees from the U.S. Aside from the amenities that remind them of the U.S., it provides a community with whom they can share stories and experiences.

“It makes a difference that people have lived abroad,” said Patel.

Plagiarism From WSJ:
To smooth the transition, Ms. Mehta and her family moved into an apartment complex that’s popular among former NRIs. Aside from the amenities that remind them of the U.S., it provides a community with whom they can share stories and experiences. “It makes a difference that people have lived in the U.S.,” she said.