Jason Arday found dead today.

Galaxy

Crikey. Thanks. I dont know what to say to that. I can only cope with people shouting at me
Look this will be weaponised by both 'sides' and none of it will help is probably my view.

Who cares ?

Your honesty and acknowledgement that people are fallible Fallingstar shows your inner strength.

Grief brings strong feelings up. It will touch many.

greyfur16

How bizarre to lay into somebody then feign concern whem tragedy strikes.

Agreed!

It’s sickening actually.

I think public executions were dreadful and the state had ultimate responsibility. But the crowds that chose to witness them and cheered were not blameless

Plevey08

Your honesty and acknowledgement that people are fallible Fallingstar shows your inner strength.

Thanks for that

A troubled individual indeed.

I have been reading about his life - he was indeed a troubled soul.

The media got on board with something that was essentially an internal university issue - questions about plagiarism are I am sure a part of regular academic scrutiny in the university sector without a media pile-on.

His case came to media attention because of the colour of his skin, his youth and his unusual route to his professorship.

The university is planning to review the appointment process .
The media do tend to present things in black and white - people are all good or all bad, and their hounding of individuals in search of sales and clicks is not acceptable.

This young man may indeed have had failings in relation to his academic performance but it is not a subject for public vilification. It is an internal matter for the university.

I worked on a magazine for some years and there were instances where I had to stand up to the editor for ghoulishly pursuing sensationalism where a reasoned analysis was needed.

But it wasn't just about the university was it, he was in the public eye, was about to release a book, had done numerous public interviews, etc.

Something has gone badly wrong here. And a sad ending.

It will be difficult to unravel all the complex strands.

I hope blame, for want of a better word, ends up in the right place without further damage. Too late for Arday.

Galaxy

But it wasn't just about the university was it, he was in the public eye, was about to release a book, had done numerous public interviews, etc.

If you are an academic you are required to write publications and take part in interviews etc. my DD is an academic and this is par for the course, and doesn’t mean that you are deliberately courting media attention.

This has appeared in The Times

“Arday continued to come under intense pressure from media and commentators. In his defence, Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, the Cambridge-based clinical psychologist, wrote on social media: “One in four autistic people have planned or attempted suicide. That’s why I’m very concerned about the impact of the media coverage on Professor Jason Arday, who is autistic.
“He continues to be systematically discredited over every detail of his life, daily. We should of course always investigate plagiarism to protect academic standards. However, I cannot stand by and watch when an autistic man is on the ground and the kicking continues. This is relentless bullying of a vulnerable autistic man and raises safe-guarding issues.””

Excerpt From
“Jason Arday, former Cambridge University professor, found dead”
The Times and The Sunday Times
apple.news/AKwpmQTv5SpCJtne5VXzSOQ
This material may be protected by copyright.

There are serious safeguarding issues in Jason Arday's case. There could have been a very different outcome for him and his family.

He edited the today programme, was on james o Brien show, etc. Those aren't particular requirements of academics.

It isnt even about someone courting public attention, is about when people are making claims in the public arena people are allowed to ask questions about reality. In the same way people were allowed to ask questions about the salt path couple.

Thank you Fallingstar- the Cambridge university plagiarism allegation investigation had not even concluded yet on a daily basis much of the media and Gransnet posts discredited every aspect of his life- even his heath status was challenged by posters who suggested he may have lied about his brain tumour, stroke etc. I can see how Baron-Cohen viewed such discreditation as relentless bullying.

It is sad fact that waiting for the full facts to become available has become the exception rather than the rule. It’s a sad fact pressure on a vulnerable person can lead to their death as Sir Baron-Cohen sets out.