Ross Barkan’s Departure from New York Magazine After Plagiarism Review

New York Magazine has ended its association with columnist Ross Barkan following allegations of plagiarism. An independent editorial review revealed Barkan did not meet the publication’s editorial standards. Consequently, 67 of his columns required updates for correct attribution of language, information, or sourcing.

The magazine updated its archives accordingly, acknowledging these revisions and expressing commitment to addressing any further issues. “Upon conclusion of the review, we have determined that we will no longer publish his column,” stated the magazine. They apologized for the failure to uphold editorial standards and to writers whose work was not properly credited.

New York Magazine columnist Ross Barkan has faced plagiarism allegations from fellow reporters, leading to an internal review.

Barkan responded to the allegations by stating to Fox News Digital, “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.” He also indicated plans to launch a new column in September.

Vox Media, the parent company of New York Magazine, did not provide comments on the situation when requested by Fox News Digital. The controversy began in May when Drew Harwell, a Washington Post reporter, accused Barkan of using content from his report about conservative commentator Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire without proper credit. Following these claims, New York Magazine revised Barkan’s column to include an editor’s note crediting the Washington Post.

NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn identified more instances where Barkan’s work mirrored language from The Intercept and Compact Magazine.

Allyn mentioned, “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.” Initially, Barkan dismissed the accusations, asserting to Fox News Digital, “[I did not plagiarize anyone] and [All of this is ridiculous].”