Couric unaware video essay was plagiarized

April 13, 2007 "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric may vividly recall her first library card, but the network says she was unaware that her online video essay about the virtues of libraries was largely a work of plagiarism. The producer responsible for Couric's piece was fired Monday night, hours after the Journal contacted CBS News to complain, network spokeswoman Sandy Genelius said Tuesday. The mishap comes as CBS continues to lag in third place in the network news ratings, behind ABC and NBC, seven months after Couric's much-ballyhooed debut as the first female solo anchor of a major U.S. evening newscast -- for a salary reportedly worth $15 million a year.

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