New York Magazine Columnist Accused of Plagiarism

New York Magazine columnist Ross Barkan faces accusations of plagiarism after allegations surfaced regarding his past work. The controversy began when Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell discovered that Barkan had potentially extracted material from Harwell’s May 9 article on The Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro for a similar piece on Shapiro’s business.

Following Harwell’s observations, New York Magazine updated the article in question with an editor’s note crediting the Washington Post. Nevertheless, Harwell remained uncertain about the specific details of the incident. NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn further identified instances where Barkan allegedly borrowed similar phrases and descriptions from sources like The Intercept and Compact Magazine.

“The paragraphs in question are summarizing the historical background or context of the stories, with some instances containing the same 30 words in a row, or near identical passages with a word or phrase slightly tweaked,” Allyn stated.

In response to the accusations, New York Magazine announced an investigation into Barkan’s previous work. Barkan defended himself, declaring he had not plagiarized and described the allegations as “ridiculous.” He pushed back against the reports in several posts on his social media account.

Harwell maintained his stance and cited NPR’s findings to support his initial accusation. Compact Magazine editor Matthew Schmitz, who claimed Barkan had plagiarized from Compact writer Juan David Rojas, criticized Barkan’s response to the allegations.