New York magazine has launched an internal review into the work of its contract writer, Ross Barkan, following accusations of plagiarism. The investigation was prompted by the discovery of at least three published articles that reportedly contain significant textual similarities to previously published material by other journalists.
The scrutiny intensified this week when a story by Barkan, focusing on conservative influencer Ben Shapiro, was found to closely mirror a piece on the same subject published days earlier in The Washington Post. After the similarities gained attention on social media, New York magazine updated Barkan's article to include direct quotations from The Post writer, Drew Harwell. Reports indicate that Barkan had reproduced nearly wholesale the opening paragraphs of Harwell's work.
Further examination by NPR revealed at least two additional instances where Barkan appeared to have incorporated partial paragraphs from articles originally published in The Intercept and Compact Magazine. These passages frequently involved summarizing historical context or background information. In some cases, these sections contained identical sequences of up to 30 words or nearly identical phrasing with only minor alterations.
"We are conducting a review of the writer's prior work," confirmed Lauren Starke, a spokesperson for New York magazine, in a statement to NPR. Matthew Schmitz, the editor of Compact Magazine, publicly condemned Barkan's article, describing it as "heavily plagiarized" and urging the magazine to address the questionable sections.
Barkan has not denied drawing from the work of other writers but has defended his approach. He asserted that including hyperlinks to the original sources or explicitly naming the authors whose words he utilized constituted sufficient acknowledgment of his reliance on their reporting. Specifically addressing the use of writer Juan David Rojas's work, Barkan stated on X, "I am allowed, as a columnist building on *his* reporting, to cite facts. Especially when he's credited."
In an emailed statement to NPR, Barkan further elaborated, calling the accusations "ridiculous" and reiterating his belief that hyperlinks and author attributions were adequate. "I have written hundreds upon hundreds of columns, essays, and pieces of journalism in my career," Barkan added. "I stand by my record."
Journalism ethics experts emphasize the critical importance of proper attribution. Edward Wasserman, a professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, explained that while journalists writing on similar topics might naturally employ comparable phrasing or summarize events in a similar fashion, lifting significant portions of text verbatim without quotation marks is widely considered plagiarism. "You need to always acknowledge the debt that you owe to an originating source, and when you're taking from someone else and not making it plain to the reader, you've got a real problem," Wasserman commented. He characterized such actions as "laziness" that could prove to be an "embarrassment to the publication."
Barkan, who is 36 years old, has maintained a prolific writing career since his unsuccessful run for a New York state senate seat in the 2018 Democratic primary. Beyond his contributions to New York magazine, he also contributes to publications such as Crain's New York and The New York Times. Over the past year, he has authored two books: a novel and a work examining political disorder. His forthcoming book, scheduled for release in October, centers on the rise of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Additionally, he published a novel titled "Colossus" last month, which features a protagonist whose seemingly perfect life is ultimately threatened by his past.
