New York Magazine reviewing work of writer facing plagiarism allegations

"When this was pointed out on social media, the magazine updated Barkan's story to directly quote the Post writer, Drew Harwell, whose opening paragraphs Barkan lifted nearly wholesale. After this, NPR found at least two other instances in which Barkan apparently pulled partial paragraphs from other stories that appeared in the publications the Intercept and Compact Magazine. 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."

"“We are conducting a review of the writer's prior work,” New York magazine spokesperson Lauren Starke told NPR. Matthew Schmitz, the editor of Compact Magazine, wrote on X condemning what he described as Barkan's “heavily plagiarized” article, saying he has called on the magazine to address the pilfered sections. Barkan did not deny relying on other writers' work. Instead, he defended his methods by arguing that he included a hyperlink to the pieces that inspired his own, or named the author whose words he replicated in his own writing."

"“I am allowed, as a columnist building on his reporting, to cite facts. Especially when he's credited,” Barkan wrote on X about writer Juan David Rojas, whose story Barkan copied in several instances in one of his own pieces. It is not uncommon for journalists writing about the same subject to use comparable turns of phrase, or to summarize events similarly."

Ross Barkan, a contract writer, faced plagiarism accusations after publishing stories with striking similarities to earlier work by other journalists. A story about conservative influencer Ben Shapiro appeared to copy opening paragraphs from a Washington Post piece by Drew Harwell. After the issue was raised publicly, the magazine updated Barkan’s story to directly quote Harwell and reflect the lifted opening material. NPR identified additional instances where Barkan allegedly reused partial paragraphs from stories in The Intercept and Compact Magazine, including passages with the same or nearly identical wording. Barkan did not deny relying on others’ work, arguing he cited sources through hyperlinks or by naming authors. New York magazine stated it was reviewing his prior work, while Compact Magazine’s editor condemned the plagiarism and called for action.

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