Ross Barkan, former New York Magazine writer and editor-in-chief of The Metropolitan Review, has issued an apology following several plagiarism allegations. He announced plans to reflect during a break from his work.
Barkan wrote on social media platform X, “I’m sorry for the mistakes made. None were intentional. While writing many columns weekly, I failed to use citations well or paraphrase adequately. I did not mean to take credit for others’ work and apologize to the journalists affected.” He also promised improvements in his future work.
Barkan hinted at a potential event in September but has not updated on it since making his latest statement. It’s uncertain if he will keep his role at The Metropolitan Review. Fox News Digital attempted to reach Barkan and The Metropolitan Review for comments but did not receive a response.
The controversy began in May when Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell accused Barkan of plagiarizing from his article about Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire. Similarities prompted New York Magazine to update the piece with a credit to The Washington Post. Harwell claimed uncertainty about the situation.
NPR’s Bobby Allyn identified more instances of Barkan allegedly using similar phrases from The Intercept and Compact Magazine. Initially, Barkan dismissed the accusations as “ridiculous,” but New York Magazine later terminated their association with him. They stated that Barkan’s work did not adhere to editorial standards for proper citation.
The magazine’s statement noted that 67 columns lacked proper attribution. The publication updated its archives to address citation issues and pledged to correct any further instances uncovered. Barkan acknowledged the errors and expressed regret, noting that he should have been more careful with citations through his nearly 250 columns.
Lindsay Kornick, an associate editor for Fox News Digital, contributed to this report. Tips can be sent to her via email or Twitter.
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