Ross Barkan Apologizes for Plagiarism Allegations and Plans Hiatus for Reflection

Former New York Magazine writer and editor-in-chief of The Metropolitan Review, Ross Barkan, issued an apology in response to multiple plagiarism allegations. On Wednesday, he announced his intention to take a break and reflect on his actions.

“Let me first begin by saying I’m sorry. I truly am sorry for the mistakes I made,” Barkan expressed on X. He explained that none of his actions were intentional and attributed the issues to his failure to cite sources aggressively and to improperly paraphrasing others’ work. He promised not to copy from anyone’s work intentionally. “I recognize, though, how I failed. I am sorry to the journalists whose work I did not properly cite, ” he added.

Barkan further mentioned his plan to take time away and self-reflect, promising to improve his future work.

The Metropolitan Review’s association with Barkan is unclear, as he has not specified his status there following the controversy. Attempts by Fox News Digital to reach Barkan and The Metropolitan Review for comments have not received immediate response.

Plagiarism allegations surfaced in May when Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell accused Barkan of using portions of his work on conservative commentator Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire in one of Barkan’s columns. Post-exposure, New York Magazine updated the article with an editor’s note crediting The Washington Post.

NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn identified further evidence suggesting that Barkan replicated content from The Intercept and Compact Magazine. Although initially dismissing the allegations as “ridiculous,” New York Magazine severed ties with Barkan after an investigation confirmed lapses in citation.

New York Magazine stated, “After an independent editorial review, New York found that Ross Barkan did not adhere to our editorial standards, and we have updated 67 columns that did not include proper attribution of language, information, and/or sourcing.” They affirmed their commitment to rectifying any more shortcomings found.

Barkan remarked, “We’ve decided to end the column, and I send all the best to New York Magazine. In the course of nearly 250 pieces, there were times I should have been more careful with citation. I’m sorry about these errors and will work to do better, more careful in the future.”

Fox News’ Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report. Lindsay Kornick, an associate editor for Fox News Digital, invites story tips at [email protected] or on Twitter: @lmkornick.