New York magazine is reviewing the past work of contract writer Ross Barkan after plagiarism allegations surfaced, with at least three stories showing striking similarities to previously published pieces. The review comes after one of Barkan's articles about conservative commentator Ben Shapiro appeared to copy language from a Washington Post story by Drew Harwell that was published days earlier.
The first incident prompted New York magazine to update Barkan's piece to include direct attribution to Harwell, whose opening paragraphs Barkan had lifted nearly wholesale. Following this discovery, NPR identified at least two additional instances where Barkan apparently drew partial paragraphs from stories in the Intercept and Compact Magazine. The passages in question summarized historical context, with some containing identical 30-word sequences or near-identical text with minor word changes.
What the Right Is Saying
Defenders of Barkan point to his defense that he included hyperlinks to source material and named authors whose work informed his pieces. In a post on X, Barkan wrote regarding writer Juan David Rojas: "I am allowed, as a columnist building on *his* reporting, to cite facts. Especially when he's credited." He told NPR in an emailed statement that inserting hyperlinks to writers he was pulling from, and naming the Compact Magazine writer in another instance, constituted sufficient acknowledgement.
Barkan emphasized his extensive body of work in defending himself. "I have written hundreds upon hundreds of columns, essays, and pieces of journalism in my career," he said. "I stand by my record." Some media commentators have noted that journalists covering the same subjects often use similar phrasing or summarize events in comparable ways, raising questions about where ordinary similarity ends and plagiarism begins.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive journalists and media ethics advocates have condemned what they describe as a clear violation of journalistic standards. Edward Wasserman, a journalism professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said such practices undermine trust in media institutions. "This kind of laziness is a real embarrassment to the publication," Wasserman told NPR. "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."
Matthew Schmitz, editor of Compact Magazine, posted on X condemning what he described as Barkan's "heavily plagiarized" article and said he called on the magazine to address the pilfered sections. The incident has renewed discussions among journalism educators about how plagiarism standards apply in an era of hyperlinks and digital attribution.
What the Numbers Show
According to publicly available information, Barkan is 36 years old and ran for a New York state senate seat in 2018, losing in the Democratic primary. He has since become a prolific contributor to multiple publications including Crain's New York Business, The New York Times, and other outlets.
In 2025 alone, Barkan published two books: a novel and a book on political disorder. Last month he released a novel entitled "Colossus." A forthcoming book on the rise of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is scheduled for October release from a major publisher.
New York magazine spokesperson Lauren Starke confirmed to NPR that the publication is conducting a review of Barkan's prior work. The magazine has not yet announced whether its investigation will be made public or what disciplinary actions might follow if plagiarism is confirmed.
The Bottom Line
The case raises broader questions about journalistic standards in digital media, particularly how attribution norms should apply when writers build on recent reporting by colleagues covering the same topics. New York magazine's review is ongoing and expected to conclude soon. Industry observers will be watching for whether the publication adopts clearer guidelines on source acknowledgment as a result of this incident.