Calls are growing for a public inquiry into the media coverage surrounding former Cambridge professor Jason Arday, who was accused of plagiarism before he was found dead, amid mounting concerns that the intense scrutiny he endured may have contributed to his tragic death.
According to the BBC, a letter to the British prime minister calling for an inquiry was signed by Green Party leader Zack Polanski and Labour MPs Diane Abbot, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Clive Lewis and Nadia Whittome.
Among the 30,000 people who signed the letter were actress Jameela Jamil, former England footballer Eni Aluko, National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede and broadcaster Carol Vorderman.
The letter, issued by the group Good Law Project, claimed that the 41-year-old professor’s death came after "two weeks of relentless harassment".
The group, which had represented Arday (above) after he resigned, said many of its supporters had also warned media outlets about the intensity of their reporting.
It called for an "immediate public inquiry into how to ensure a responsible press".
Simon Woolley, principal of Homerton College at Cambridge, was among those backing the call. He said Arday, a father of two, had been subjected to a "vicious witch hunt".
Woolley said he and several close friends had met Arday four days before he was found dead at an address in south London.
Among those who gathered to support him were Labour MP Abbott and social activist Misan Harriman.
According to Woolley, Arday felt "hounded" by the relentless media coverage, which he described as "a bloodsport".
"Diane said to him, she held his hand, and said, ‘We will help you get through this’. But on that day, we saw a man half his body weight and desperate beyond belief,” he added.
Plagiarism claims ‘not uncommon’
Woolley said allegations of plagiarism were not uncommon in academia, but questioned why Arday appeared to have faced such intense scrutiny and media attention compared with others accused of similar wrongdoing.
"We have to ask this question, we have to talk about - which a lot of people don't want to talk about, is racism. You have to look at negatively differential treatment," he added.
Arday, 41, was found dead at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday. He had resigned as a Cambridge professor of sociology of education on Aug 5 following allegations of plagiarism and questions over some of his achievements. He had denied the claims.
Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded Arday his PhD in 2015, concluded that he had not plagiarised work.
The controversy surrounding Arday began after academic Nathan Cofnas, a self-described “race realist” who was dismissed from his Cambridge position in 2024, alleged that he had identified numerous examples of plagiarism in Arday’s academic work.
Cofnas himself had faced a backlash over his views, including his assertion that under a true meritocracy black people would “disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment”.
Cambridge announced on Aug 6 that it would launch an independent investigation into Arday’s appointment. However, the BBC said it understood that the university was reluctant to determine whether the inquiry should proceed.
Simon Baron-Cohen, a friend of Arday, said the investigation should nevertheless be allowed to continue, stressing the importance of learning from it because “this is the whole purpose of investigations”.
Cambridge said Arday had been provided with extensive support for his physical and mental well-being during his time at the university, including counselling and other advice and assistance.
“Our support continued in the face of intense public and media scrutiny and after his resignation,” a university spokesperson told the BBC.
Cambridge had hailed Arday’s appointment as a significant milestone, with the academic becoming one of a small number of black professors in Britain. - Mkini
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