Jason Arday: Was the British media to blame for his death?

 

His supporters blame the media but others say public scrutiny of the tragic academic was justified

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Well, this question is purely academic now...

All we know is this: Jason was autistic...

He was the youngest black Professor to be appointed in the University of Cambridge.

The University didn't do the necessary to protect him (given his autism and hence his vulnerability!)...

There are the facts! Beyond any sentiments...

The conclusions are yours...

On the suicide of Jason Arday

I had tweeted about Jason when he resigned…

Now, after his suicide, it can be said that before his death, there was a “mental murder” by the very same people who defend the so called Academic integrity (sic!). It's with a great pity to see that there weren't support mechanisms for Jason. He was attacked by vile people who wanted to prove that Jason plagiarised while he wrote his PhD thesis : but these claims have been cleared! But, the personality killing "war" didn't end there. Having #bipolar myself. I see this story through a different lens: the one of how the “system” wants to destroy careers and hence personalities!

The media played a very dirty part attacking Jason, a person with autism. Who is accountable? What lessons are to be learnt by the suicide of Jason?

University of Cambridge claimed that there was going to be a review of all appointments of senior Academics. Too little, too late.

I am so so sad that Jason ( a person with a kind heart - as many colleagues report) was forced to end his life in such a tragic way...

P.S.

To the right-wing media, Arday was a “diversity poster boy.” To supporters, including prominent academics and politicians who signed a petition of support that quickly drew thousands of signatures, he was the victim of a racist smear campaign.

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In related news:
 
In late 2023, conservative news outlets highlighted plagiarism allegations against Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard. The university then announced that it had identified several instances of “duplicative language without appropriate attribution” in her scholarly work, which would be corrected.
Gay, a political scientist and Harvard’s first black president, resigned soon after, calling the campaign against her, which she said was driven in part by “racial animus”, an effort to undermine the university. After Gay’s resignation, one of her chief critics, conservative activist Christopher Rufo, began highlighting what he said was plagiarism in the scholarly work of several black women employed by Harvard.
Racism in Academia? It looks that the answer is yes...