Plagiarism Allegations Against New York Magazine’s Ross Barkan Prompt Investigation

Ross Barkan, a columnist for New York Magazine, faces allegations of plagiarism following claims from multiple sources. The situation began when Drew Harwell of the Washington Post accused Barkan of using significant portions of Harwell’s May 9 article on Ben Shapiro, co-founder of The Daily Wire, for a similar topic.

Upon noticing the similarities, New York Magazine updated its piece with an editor’s note crediting the Washington Post. However, Harwell expressed uncertainty about the occurrence, leading to further scrutiny.

NPR’s Bobby Allyn uncovered further instances where Barkan allegedly replicated material from sources such as The Intercept and Compact Magazine. These examples involve historical context with portions mirroring sentences containing up to 30 identical words.

New York Magazine stated it will conduct a review of Barkan’s past work due to these allegations.

Barkan denied accusations asserting, “I did not plagiarize anyone” and labeled the allegations as unfounded. He criticized Allyn’s reporting and defended his own journalistic integrity, emphasizing the extensive volume of his work.

Harwell remained steadfast in his allegations, and Compact Magazine’s editor Matthew Schmitz supported the claims, stating Barkan heavily plagiarized Juan David Rojas’ article. Schmitz dismissed Barkan’s defense, highlighting proper citation insufficiencies.

Lindsay Kornick, associate editor for Fox News Digital, contributed reporting. Contact details are provided for further story tips.