New York Magazine will no longer publish columnist Ross Barkan after an independent editorial review found 67 of his columns failed to meet the publication’s standards for proper attribution.
“After an independent editorial review, New York found that Ross Barkan did not adhere to our editorial standards, and we have updated 67 columns that did not include proper attribution of language, information and/or sourcing,” the publication told TheWrap on Friday.
“Upon conclusion of the review, we have determined that we will no longer publish his column,” the statement continued. “We regret that this work did not live up to our editorial standards, and apologize to the writers whose work was not properly attributed.”
Gothamist removed some of Barkan’s work following its own investigation, The New York Times reported Wednesday. The Times said a separate review of Barkan’s work for its magazine and opinion section found no violations of its standards.
The decision comes three months after Barkan was accused of repeatedly using language and reporting from other journalists without proper attribution, prompting the magazine to review his previous work.
“We’ve decided to end the column and I send all the best to New York Magazine,” Barkan shared in a statement to Semafor’s Max Tani. “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 work in the future. I am, at a more considered pace, writing a new column for The Nation.”
The controversy began in May when Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell pointed out similarities between the opening of one of his stories about conservative commentator Ben Shapiro and a column Barkan published days later. New York subsequently updated Barkan’s piece to more clearly credit the Post’s reporting.
NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn then identified additional examples in Barkan’s work that he said contained language resembling material previously published by The Intercept and Compact Magazine.
At the time, New York said it was taking the allegations seriously and reviewing Barkan’s work. Barkan disputed the plagiarism allegations, saying he had properly attributed the material while standing behind his work.
Barkan, a New York-based journalist and author who has written extensively about city and national politics, had been a regular contributor to the magazine’s Intelligencer vertical.
