Professor Jason Arday, the youngest black professor appointed to Cambridge in the University's history, has died at the age of 41, leaving two children without a father, a wife without a husband, and a community in mourning. An opinion piece by Joshua Whorms argues that his death was the result of a "culture war lynch mob" that hounded him in an attempt to score political points.
Media coverage before death
In the 22 days preceding his death, a total of 249 articles were published about Arday, averaging around 11 per day. The piece claims that sections of the media have since attempted to hide their involvement, with articles scrubbed from the internet, adverts pulled from social media, and countless tweets and comments deleted.
Numerous journalists and publications have tried to whitewash their role in the media storm, which the piece describes as "obsessive, excessive and completely disproportionate" in its coverage of a plagiarism row.
Plagiarism accusation and family statement
Arday was cleared of an initial plagiarism accusation regarding his doctoral thesis by Liverpool John Moores University. An investigation found no evidence of formal academic plagiarism, instead finding mistakes and poor referencing rather than intentional misconduct.
Despite this, the piece argues that the outrage did not match the severity of the allegations, with a racial bias fuelled by pre-existing opinions on DEI. Arday was seen as a "black bogey man" and a target for hot takes on DEI and race relations in the UK.
Impact and call for honesty
The piece states that Arday's family said "the campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason." It concludes that his death is "another disgraceful stain on the rich history of British academia," urging the press to remember that culture wars have real-world consequences.
