How heartbreaking.
Cambridge professor at centre of plagiarism row found dead
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Unfortunate but sadly expected outcome.
Of course he deserved criticism for lying and naturally that will create a story when done in the circumstances it was. But put yourself in that man’s shoes how do you see a way out?
Rather than this being dealt with years ago it became an issue it needn’t have become and as such a much more divisive topic to be exploited.
We have politicians who lie and cheat everyday of their lives who seldom get the same level of vitriol and scrutiny he did. I completely disagree with what he did, but this is the media beast the nation has shown it demands and once again it’s claimed another victim.
Of course he deserved criticism for lying and naturally that will create a story when done in the circumstances it was. But put yourself in that man’s shoes how do you see a way out?
Rather than this being dealt with years ago it became an issue it needn’t have become and as such a much more divisive topic to be exploited.
We have politicians who lie and cheat everyday of their lives who seldom get the same level of vitriol and scrutiny he did. I completely disagree with what he did, but this is the media beast the nation has shown it demands and once again it’s claimed another victim.
Nonsense. A man has taken his life leaving behind a young family. Why do you think that is?
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There’s a really unfortunate but inevitable truth to this though. I’m not saying I agree with it before anyone comes for me on this…
If you lie as he did, and go after journalists who are attempting to expose your lies as he and Cambridge did, then I completely understand the media then wanting to have their moment to bare all.
It was made into something far bigger by his actions and the actions of those at Cambridge wanting to cover up essentially. The story could have broke back in 2023/2025 and been purely about plagiarism. It got turned into something more controversial and as there was an element of silencing media, it’s understandable why the media then went the direction it did.
None of this justifies the ending. But we can’t really be shocked by how events have unfolded with how our society is.
I just feel sorry for his family in all this now.
Some of the media coverage was certainly justified.
But when big media outlets are publishing stories with headlines like "I was Jason Arday's student. He was late to class and spouted nonsense", then it's fair to conclude they've moved past asking serious, public-interest questions and onto making content from attacking a public target. An article that was then pushed on social media via a paid-for-ad.
I agree with this post.
It was and continues to be newsworthy because a complete chancer rose to the top of his profession. However, clearly we don’t want anyone to take their own life. I would say the media has been justified. We can never know the outcome of such things. He’s been clearly found out. The consequence is not on the media.
Campaign of “misinformation”? Bollocks.
He was a fecking chancer who got found out.
It’s obviously very sad he felt the need to take his own life. But this was rightfully a very public story legitimately in the public interest to know about.
I know it had a racial angle but would it have been different if he was white? A big difference? I’m not sure
Agree with all of this.
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The trouble is student experience is relevant. Cambridge is meant to be the institution of academic excellence so people will naturally be interested in hearing the experiences of those taught by someone who did what he did. I don’t think this can be spun as not public interest, that would be revisionist and naive I feel to believe the society we live in is far different to what it is.
I’d also add that the media never resists an attempt to knock education in general especially when there is a chance to make it seem woke etc.
Despite all this I find myself in a very uncomfortable and unusual position of finding it very hard to have 100% sympathy for him because of the actions he and Cambridge made towards those investigating him they came for the investigators so I really can’t escape the idea that them coming back in return is understandable. Although an eye for an eye makes the world blind we can’t turn a blind eye to anyone’s actions that resulted in this media coverage despite this awful ending.
Unfortunately as is always the case in the UK it definitely will have played a role. The unfortunate thing is that it was used as a weapon in reverse too (if I’m understanding the situation correctly) and so that will also only inflame tensions. Again not saying it’s fair but this is a reflection of our current society.
All I know is that this scandal has brought out the worst in both sides. Cambridge and co didn’t stop to think of the consequences of engineering a cover up with the fall guy being someone clearly unsuited to handle that level of scrutiny. The racist angle from portions of the media (especially media outside the UK who seem to be obsessed with us). Not one person stopped to think about the man in question and what his needs were. Failure on all parts. I even got to question the support and guidance he was getting from his inner circle.
Awful to read especially with him being a Father. He messed up but he's not the first person to stretch credibility and ride the wave albeit it's a poor look for the reputation of Cambridge University.
Reminds me of a story in the West Midlands a few years back that went along similar-ish lines:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg784lxgq7o
This was a big story when he was appointed due to his profile and someone relentlessly flagged up a mis qualification on his CV.
I read that article in the week. Sensationalist headline but there was some context in the article. The student was apparently grading from essays at 75% and this one was marked down to 70% so they arranged one-on-one with Jason Arday to discuss why and the student was accused of white privilege. Others on the course were taking notes from the previous lecturer to answer essay topics as they didn't have enough material aswell.
So ultimately someone promoted beyond their capabilities which happens in every profession regardless of colour, neurodivergence/disability or whatever else.
I actually remembered the story of him being appointed in 2023 and then left it at that and assumed all was well so not sure what sparked off the recent events and now we have the tragic outcome.
Ah I see, didn't catch that
Meanwhile we have an orange clown running the world that’d plagiarise his own existence if he could.
Having said that, I don’t think one should conflate the tragic outcome of this case to the media scrutiny Arday received. Mental health and the fractured integrity of elite education and research institutions are 2 topics in their own right. We can all speculate if the ending would have been different had the University acted more proactively and removed him from public gaze but that’s all speculation at this stage. We’ll never know the answers.
Having said that, I don’t think one should conflate the tragic outcome of this case to the media scrutiny Arday received. Mental health and the fractured integrity of elite education and research institutions are 2 topics in their own right. We can all speculate if the ending would have been different had the University acted more proactively and removed him from public gaze but that’s all speculation at this stage. We’ll never know the answers.
An ad which was still showing this article at 11:09pm last night, many hours after his death. Great look, The Times. fecking cnuts.
He seemingly lied about having multiple types of cancer. He also tried to silence those who were exposing his lies. I don't believe the press were unduly harsh on him tbh.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...signing-from-cambridge-over-plagiarism-claims
I had seen his face show up on the front of the guardian for the last week or so, they were pushing it hard but I never looked into it because academic plagiarism is a little too outside of my purview. Yesterday the BBC ran a big section on a Radio4 show and whilst they made a clear case that Arday had been involved in some plagiarism and may have fabricated some of his past, I couldn't quite understand why the reporting was so prominent. His reps had given the BBC a statement about his mental health and it sounded to me that they weren't it the respect it deserved.
Prior to yesterday I knew nothing of the man personally or the case more generally but I was puzzled by the coverage I was being bombarded with. It seemed clear that the media - including the Liberal media at that (guardian, bbc) had decided to hound the guy, over multiple days. I later found that he was also facing persistent racist campaigns from influencers and right wing media, and was being used as culture war cannon fodder for the "white erasure" cult of halfwits.
He had been exposed as having committed plagiarism, he resigned last week but seemingly that wasn't enough. Now he is dead. No doubt it was a significant story within academia but why was it deemed so for me and the illiterate racist wretches in our midst?
I had seen his face show up on the front of the guardian for the last week or so, they were pushing it hard but I never looked into it because academic plagiarism is a little too outside of my purview. Yesterday the BBC ran a big section on a Radio4 show and whilst they made a clear case that Arday had been involved in some plagiarism and may have fabricated some of his past, I couldn't quite understand why the reporting was so prominent. His reps had given the BBC a statement about his mental health and it sounded to me that they weren't it the respect it deserved.
Prior to yesterday I knew nothing of the man personally or the case more generally but I was puzzled by the coverage I was being bombarded with. It seemed clear that the media - including the Liberal media at that (guardian, bbc) had decided to hound the guy, over multiple days. I later found that he was also facing persistent racist campaigns from influencers and right wing media, and was being used as culture war cannon fodder for the "white erasure" cult of halfwits.
He had been exposed as having committed plagiarism, he resigned last week but seemingly that wasn't enough. Now he is dead. No doubt it was a significant story within academia but why was it deemed so for me and the illiterate racist wretches in our midst?
It's tragic especially as he leaves a family behind, but let's be clear that the absolute main agent of his misfortune has been himself.
Same reason why some in the thread were absolutely frothing at the mouth over it.
Just weird such an uninteresting story even got it's own thread on a football message board in the first place.
Really unsurprising which posters seem far more interested in justifying their own 'investment' in this story than showing much sympathy or perspective, yeah
This never struck me as as much of a national story as it became. The vast majority of this country does not give a feck about the honour of Cambridge.
Exactly. But also very important to point out its entirely his own fault he died if you posted a lot in it.
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Utter rubbish. A man is dead and two young children have lost their father forever. That's justified for you is it?
You actually have any links to backup what you said ? Or you just made it up?
It wasn’t an uninteresting story.
It was and continues to be newsworthy. You have to separate out the story from the outcome.
As others have said, of course it’s unfortunate how this has ended, but that doesn’t mean the story was not relevant.
This was Cambridge, along with Oxford the greatest educational institution in the county, and we had Walter Mitty blagging his way to the top.
Cambridge alleged attempt to cover this up makes me think how many other cases like this they got away with. Hopefully there's a big verification run on those unis.
Don't agree at all in terms of the media coverage being justified and that it wasn't a pile on. It wasn't justified in terms of their relentlessness and handling of it, and in various areas, was a racially fueled pile on.
Arday was failed on multiple fronts, and quite clearly needed help.
It was a failure of Cambridge to not do the correct vetting processes, and in this thread it appears that academia has a general failing in this area which it needs to address. It was also a failing of the media in terms of the way they handled this story and let it play out.
Not to say that absolves him of any wrongdoing, he shouldn't have lied and exaggerated to try and get into a position where he was teaching people who relied on him to be acting in good faith but if the extent of some of the lies that he was putting forward are true then they had a problem which wasn't helped, and if correct proceedings were followed by those at Cambridge, he would never have been anywhere near becoming a Professor there.
It certainly has and a very sad outcome.
An academic blagging his way into a top job wouldn't normally be overly big news, but this story featured such a remarkable combination of factors.
The inspirational young working class black man overcoming terrible disabilities to land the prestigious role. Cambridge Uni, which had been embroiled in race scandals, seemingly then sweeping plagiarism allegations under the carpet and gunning for the press.
The Good Law Project, another right wing media bête noire, wading in no doubt inflamed the gutter press more.
The weird elements like Andy Murray being inspired by Arday's tale of completing multiple marathons with a broken leg all added to the newsworthiness.
Tragedy for his young family though. Terrible for black academics elsewhere who feel undermined and awful the whole case provided fuel for the anti-DEI voices and racists.
Arday paid the ultimate price, but the media won't face any real come-back and the uni probably just suffers a bit of short-term embarrassment.
Not only he claimed to have had brain tumor, but claimed to have done surgery there just two weeks before his viva.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...finished-a-phd-two-weeks-after-my-brain-surg/
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/educati...osal-cancer-coma-jsxh5hs6p?eafs_enabled=false
He lied for everything, to the point of being funny. He lied himself to the top.
It is absolutely sad how this tragically ended, and it is very sad for him, his family, wife and especially his kids. But let’s be clear, the journalists going after him and Cambridge were on the right side here. It was something that needed to be scrutinized, and something that should not happen again. He can be a chancer and a fraud, and it can still be very sad, one does not remove the other.
And it shouldn’t end here. Cambridge has lots of explanation to be done, and his hiring committee should all face consequences.
People need to take personal responsibility. Yes organisations have ignored what’s been going on - but it was him, and him alone that made up the stories, and he did so for personal gain, it was him who was completely dishonest about who he was, him who lied and cheated. His death doesn’t change any of that.
Clearly an odd chap who lied his way up through a system that was desperate to promote minorities.
No need to end it all though - this would've blown over in a few weeks in typical British media style.
No need to end it all though - this would've blown over in a few weeks in typical British media style.
Well put. My only reservation is your comment on negative impact on black academics. Not sure there will be any. Blacks are so severely under represented in academic positions - like a needle in the hay stack really. Just terribly sad all round.
There's already a whole industry of US conservatives desperate to try and attack academics of colour and find any traces of plagiarism or other impropriety in their work to discredit them.
Cases like this will be weaponised by them, seeing black academics face a level of scrutiny about whether they got a job on merit or otherwise that no white academic will face.
Must admit though, I'd read the below article as citing black academics worrying they'll be undermined, when actually it seems they're talking more about the study of race.
https://www.theguardian.com/educati...s-surrounding-cambridge-professor-jason-arday
Those who facilitated his rise at Cambridge, and the media have blood on their hands. He was clearly mentally ill, so the relentless focus on him by the media was careless. After his resignation, focus should have shifted more to Cambridge’s systemic failings than the lies of a sick person. Though, I guess in the end they got what they wanted.
And the next time a black academic attempts to rise like this fraud did they will be heavily scrutinised and no stone will be left unturned, no doubt.
The question that should be asked is why this was such a big story to begin with, and I don't think it's the media only.
Media plays a big role, but media is essentially click driven business. You spot a story, smell blood, and you divert your resources in that direction, hoping for best outcome. Meaning, more clicks.
But the moment you spot a story is the key here. It would have died right on the first few articles if public wasn't giving media the feedback that this is what they want to read.
Arday was a fraud, yes. But how much of what he lied about has impacted life of his students? I am sad to read how Dinostar77 saw him as a role model for his kid, but even such lie is not something that would affect his actual teaching work. So basically, it comes down to falsifying his CV and that is something very prevalent, far more than we want to believe. So, in 99% of cases, it is a non story.
So why has it become such a big story in this particular instance? Why has it created this terryfing loop where media want to destroy someone completely because it sees how blood thirsty public reacts to it?
One answer is obviously feeling of injustice, both for journalists who tried to expose Arday earlier, and for public, who felt that pillars of society were shaken by conman teaching the kids. Feeling of being treated unjustly, directly or indirectly, can make people want revenge in ugly ways. But then again, for average Joe, there are far more unjust things happening on daily basis, and there is quiet acceptance, it doesn't even make them feel this uncomfortable.
So why have they, along with media, created a sickening loop that kept feeding itself until Arday was so overwhelmed that he saw suicide as his only way out?
I wouldn't go on claiming racism straight away, but I feel like we are out of options. All of media might not have had racist angle to this, but they all banked on lowest instincts in human being, they completely detached even the mere possibility of feeling empathy for Arday. He was practically dehumanized.
Media plays a big role, but media is essentially click driven business. You spot a story, smell blood, and you divert your resources in that direction, hoping for best outcome. Meaning, more clicks.
But the moment you spot a story is the key here. It would have died right on the first few articles if public wasn't giving media the feedback that this is what they want to read.
Arday was a fraud, yes. But how much of what he lied about has impacted life of his students? I am sad to read how Dinostar77 saw him as a role model for his kid, but even such lie is not something that would affect his actual teaching work. So basically, it comes down to falsifying his CV and that is something very prevalent, far more than we want to believe. So, in 99% of cases, it is a non story.
So why has it become such a big story in this particular instance? Why has it created this terryfing loop where media want to destroy someone completely because it sees how blood thirsty public reacts to it?
One answer is obviously feeling of injustice, both for journalists who tried to expose Arday earlier, and for public, who felt that pillars of society were shaken by conman teaching the kids. Feeling of being treated unjustly, directly or indirectly, can make people want revenge in ugly ways. But then again, for average Joe, there are far more unjust things happening on daily basis, and there is quiet acceptance, it doesn't even make them feel this uncomfortable.
So why have they, along with media, created a sickening loop that kept feeding itself until Arday was so overwhelmed that he saw suicide as his only way out?
I wouldn't go on claiming racism straight away, but I feel like we are out of options. All of media might not have had racist angle to this, but they all banked on lowest instincts in human being, they completely detached even the mere possibility of feeling empathy for Arday. He was practically dehumanized.
Here's my controversial 2 cents.
In my view, a big aspect of why this story got legs was because there was an air of "how dare you look into this black academic".
Those who looked into him risked being called a racist, having law enforcement called on them for harrassment, and if I recall correctly Arday used the "white privilege" shtick against those critical of him. And so there is a sense, right or wrong, that there is a deeply unhealthy level of fetishization of minorities to the extent that even scrutinizing a black academic was risky for those doing it.
It shouldn't have come this far and I would say Cambridge takes most of the blame for that.
But the above are my ramblings for this Saturday morning. I know it's slightly controversial but on the other hand, the right wing press got their ammunition because of this elevation of Arday to a level of prestige he did not deserve.
Cambridge is one of the most prestigious universities in the world and a cornerstone of the educational system in the UK. If you think about the topics like research grants, tuition fees etc. there is a lot of private and public money involved. To claim this is somehow not a story worth reporting on, seems wrong. There is a massive, justified public interest here. This would've been a massive story regardless of skin colour and rightfully so.
This is an incredibly sad conclusion to a pretty damaging story for all parties involved. Cambridge is not new to this, Giulio Regeni's family is still waiting for formal reapprochment after they sent him to fecking Egypt as an undercover spy/agent (and he ended tortured and murdered).
It’s pretty obvious why this went massive, no? Because there’s a depressingly large cohort of people who got great joy from seeing a high profile black man getting taken down a peg or two. Throw in an opportunity to have a pop at woke educational establishments and this is solid gold culture war content.