NCCU law grad delivers speech taken from YouTube

DURHAM, NC (AP) — A North Carolina Central University law
school graduate is being criticized by school officials for
delivering a commencement speech that heavily plagiarized a YouTube
video.

The News and Observer of Raleigh reported Preston Mitchum gave
remarks Friday that included much of a speech last year by
Binghamton University student Anthony Corvino.

Corvino’s humorous speech emphasized the virtues of living an
average life. Corvino said Mitchum asked permission to borrow lines
from the speech after finding it on YouTube.

Mitchum said he intended to credit the New York author but
failed to do so. He apologized and expressed remorse for his
oversight.

School officials say the address was “totally inconsistent”
with their legacy.

Mitchum was head of the law school student body and plans to
take the bar exam this summer.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)