New York magazine says it is reviewing the past work of contract writer Ross Barkan after several of his recent pieces were flagged for close similarity to previously published reporting.
The controversy began when readers noticed that a Barkan column about conservative commentator Ben Shapiro closely mirrored the opening paragraphs of a Washington Post story by Drew Harwell. After the similarity was raised on social media, the magazine updated Barkan’s piece to include direct attribution to the Post writer.
NPR subsequently identified at least two other instances in which Barkan’s copy appears to borrow substantial passages from articles published by The Intercept and Compact Magazine. The contested passages generally summarize background or historical context; in some cases, sequences of roughly 30 words appear nearly verbatim, and in others the wording is only slightly altered.
A New York magazine spokesperson, Lauren Starke, said the outlet is conducting a review of the writer’s prior work. Matthew Schmitz, editor of Compact Magazine, publicly condemned what he called a ‘heavily plagiarized’ article and urged New York to address the copied sections.
Barkan has defended his approach, saying he included hyperlinks to the pieces he relied on and, in at least one instance, named the original author. He argued that as a columnist building on others’ reporting he is entitled to cite facts and credited the source — specifically naming Juan David Rojas in one dispute.
Journalism scholars disagree about the line between common phrasing on shared topics and plagiarism. Edward Wasserman, a journalism professor at UC Berkeley, said substantial word-for-word lifting without clear quotation is generally considered plagiarism and criticized what he described as laziness and a failure to properly acknowledge original sources.
In an emailed statement, Barkan called the allegations ‘quite ridiculous,’ reiterated that he credits the reporting he uses, and said he stands by his long record of columns, essays and journalism. He did not contest that he relied on other writers’ reporting in the pieces under scrutiny.
Barkan, 36, ran unsuccessfully in a 2018 Democratic primary for a New York state senate seat. He has been a prolific contributor to a range of outlets, including New York magazine, Crain’s New York, and The New York Times. Last year he published two books, and he has a forthcoming book scheduled for October about New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He also recently released a novel titled Colossus, whose description notes a successful protagonist whose past ultimately unravels his life.