Is it useful to have a section of my site that re-posts articles from other sites?

This video talks about the sites which have segments which feature reposted articles. Matt Cutts discouraged the inclusion of such kind of parts in the websites since it adds little or no value. It is also asserted that it adds no value compared to high quality sites. Tips are also given on how to improve the rankings and be considered as a good site by Google like writing own content, system of curation, add editorial philosophy, etc.

The video highlights the following points:

1. Google thinks about the continuum and quality of the content in the sites and what defines the value add for the users.
2. High quality sites are those which write its own content, proofread it, choose the writers and apply sound discretion whether the article is good or not. An example of which is the New York Times which is highly popular and favoured by Google since it is considered as a high quality site with high value to users. These sites have a proper system of curation.
3. Low quality sites are those that have thin content or articles that are simply duplicates of other articles to be found on the web. This kind of sites also include mere keyword search, press releases from other sites, etc.
4. Even though there are unique contents posted on most parts of the site, segments which include only copied content is a turn-off to users because they will assume that the site is bad as a whole. Therefore, such kinds of sites are not appealing to Google as there is little or no user value.
5. Auto-generated RSS feeds or press releases add no value to the site. It is not worth the effort since it adds no value to the site and might scare away users.

In order to achieve better SEO rankings, you should:

1. Think of ways on how to make sites compelling or those things that will make people come back to the site. Original content is one way since the articles to be found on your site is unique and cannot be seen on other sites around the web.
2. Make your sites have an editorial voice or intent by properly curating. For example, John Gruber link sites that really interest him and have established an editorial philosophy. This should be the model for webmasters.