New York Magazine reviewing work of writer facing plagiarism allegations - BERITAJA

Writer Ross Barkan sits for a podcast question and reply The Honest Broker. YouTube/YouTube

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New York Magazine is examining the past activity of 1 of its writers who has been accused of plagiarism aft publishing astatine slightest 3 stories pinch striking similarities to different published work.

Ross Barkan, who is simply a statement writer for the magazine, first attracted captious scrutiny erstwhile 1 of his stories earlier this week connected the blimpish influencer Ben Shapiro appeared to copy different portion connected Shapiro published days earlier successful The Washington Post.

When this was pointed retired connected societal media, the mag updated Barkan's communicative to straight quote the Post writer, Drew Harwell, whose opening paragraphs Barkan lifted about wholesale.

After this, BERITAJA found astatine slightest 2 different instances successful which Barkan apparently pulled partial paragraphs from different stories that appeared successful the publications the Intercept and Compact Magazine.

The paragraphs successful question are summarizing the humanities inheritance aliases discourse of the stories, pinch immoderate instances containing the aforesaid 30 words successful a row, aliases adjacent identical passages pinch a connection aliases building somewhat tweaked.

"We are conducting a reappraisal of the writer's anterior work," New York Magazine spokesperson Lauren Starke told BERITAJA.

Matthew Schmitz, the editor of Compact Magazine, wrote connected X condemning what he described arsenic Barkan's "heavily plagiarized" article, saying he has called connected the mag to reside the pilfered sections.

Barkan did not contradict relying connected different writers' work. Instead, he defended his methods by arguing that he included a hyperlink to the pieces that inspired his own, aliases named the writer whose words he replicated successful his ain writing.

"I americium allowed, arsenic a columnist building connected *his* reporting, to mention facts. Especially erstwhile he's credited," Barkan wrote connected X about writer Juan David Rojas, whose communicative Barkan copied successful respective instances successful 1 of his ain pieces.

It is not uncommon for journalists penning about the aforesaid taxable to usage comparable turns of phrase, aliases to summarize events similarly. But erstwhile important chunks of someone's penning appears word-for-word without quotation marks, it is mostly considered plagiarism, according to Edward Wasserman, a professor of publicity astatine the University of California, Berkeley.

"This benignant of laziness is simply a existent embarrassment to the publication," Wasserman said of Barkan. "You request to ever admit the indebtedness that you beryllium to an originating source, and erstwhile you're taking from personification other and not making it plain to the reader, you've sewage a existent problem."

In an emailed statement, Barkan said, "this is each rather ridiculous." He said inserting hyperlinks successful his columns to writers he was pulling from, and, successful the lawsuit of the Compact Magazine piece, naming the writer, was capable acknowledgement that he was leaning connected different journalist's reporting.

"I person written hundreds upon hundreds of columns, essays, and pieces of publicity successful my career," Barkan said. "I guidelines by my record."

In 2018, Barkan, 36, ran for a New York authorities legislature spot and mislaid successful the Democratic primary.

Since then, he has been a remarkably prolific writer.

In summation to being a contributor to New York Magazine, he besides writes for Crain's New York, The New York Times and different publications.

Last year, he published 2 books, a caller and a book connected governmental disorder.

He has a forthcoming book, owed retired successful October, connected the emergence of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

And past month, he published a caller entitled "Colossus." Its description says its protagonist is simply a man who "has it all," including a life that "gleams pinch kindness and success." But his past comes to haunt him and "the once-sturdy walls of his world statesman to fall."