New York Magazine Ends Partnership with Ross Barkan Over Plagiarism Allegations
New York Magazine has cut ties with journalist Ross Barkan after investigating claims of plagiarism. An independent editorial review revealed 67 columns with improper citation. The magazine has since updated these columns to include correct references. This was stated in a public announcement obtained by Semafor.
The magazine expressed regret for not meeting editorial standards and apologized to affected writers. A decision was made to halt his column. Barkan issued a statement to Fox News Digital, acknowledging citation oversights in his work. He regretted the mistakes and planned to exercise more caution in the future.
He also hinted at starting a new column in September. Vox Media, the parent company of New York Magazine, did not provide an immediate comment on these developments.
The issue arose in May when Drew Harwell, a Washington Post journalist, accused Barkan of copying sections from his article on commentator Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire. After Harwell highlighted these concerns, New York Magazine revised their piece, adding an editor’s note crediting the Washington Post. Harwell stated that he was unsure of the situation’s developments.
NPR’s Bobby Allyn discovered further instances of Barkan using similar language from The Intercept and Compact Magazine. Allyn noted that Barkan’s work included lengthy verbatim phrases or slightly altered text from other publications.
Initially, Barkan refuted these allegations, claiming to Fox News Digital he did not plagiarize and called the situation “ridiculous.”
Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick and media reporter Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed additional details. Story tips are welcome via email or Twitter.