Ross Barkan, a columnist for New York Magazine, faces plagiarism allegations that have triggered an internal review of his previous work. The controversy began when Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell accused Barkan of copying material from his May 9 article about Ben Shapiro for a similar piece on Shapiro’s business.
After Harwell pointed out the similarities, New York Magazine added an editor’s note crediting the Washington Post. Harwell admitted uncertainty about the situation. Following these developments, NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn identified other instances where Barkan reportedly borrowed phrases and descriptions from The Intercept and Compact Magazine. Allyn noted that some passages contained long identical phrases with minor tweaks.
New York Magazine responded to Fox News Digital by announcing a review of Barkan’s past work. Barkan defended himself, stating, “I did not plagiarize anyone,” and criticized the nature of the accusations. He also expressed criticism toward Bobby Allyn’s reporting approach, saying, “When you are writing a story, don’t email at 11:24 p.m. and threaten someone for comment about a story you publishing ‘tonight.'”
Meanwhile, NPR’s report, which was shared by Harwell, has maintained the plagiarism issues. Harwell reiterated his stance, citing “questionable passages” found by Allyn, leading to New York Magazine reviewing Barkan’s pieces. Compact Magazine editor Matthew Schmitz agreed with the plagiarism claims, highlighting Barkan’s alleged misuse of Compact writer Juan David Rojas’ work.
Barkan continued to defend his integrity on social media, saying the controversy was exaggerated and criticizing what he perceived as the minutiae of media reporting.
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