Press regulator IPSO, which oversees the majority of the UK’s national newspapers, is reviewing a “high volume of complaints and concerns” in relation to coverage of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday following his death.
Arday died aged 41 on Friday after weeks of scrutiny over allegations that he plagiarised his PhD thesis and other research, and claims he had embellished or made-up some of his other achievements, such as running 600 miles in six days.
In a statement issued by Arday’s book publisher, his family said they were “asking the press to leave us alone now, and to stop the campaign of harassment which has been waged against Jason and his family for too long”.
The Telegraph, the Daily Mail, The Times, The Sun and The Spectator, which have all faced criticism over their reporting of Arday, are members of press regulator IPSO.
An IPSO spokesperson said on Monday afternoon: “We were deeply saddened by the death of Jason Arday, and our thoughts are with his family and friends. This is a complex situation, and it would not be appropriate to speculate about the causes of Dr Arday’s death. However, we take concerns about press conduct and media coverage very seriously.
“This week, we have received a high volume of complaints and concerns about recent coverage on Dr Arday, which we are reviewing. In the meantime, we remind editors of the importance of reporting with sympathy and discretion in the aftermath of such a tragic event.”
News comparison and media bias rating platform Newscord has said it will generate detailed complaint letters on behalf of users at the click of a button — all they need to do is give Newscord their email address.
Newscord used the same tactic in May in relation to complaints about coverage of comments made by ex-Southbank Centre boss Misan Harriman, prompting concerns from IPSO that the complaints might have been generated using AI. The press regulator referred its concerns to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Newscord said it will file complaints to IPSO about specific Daily Mail, Times, Telegraph, Sun and Spectator articles, relating to Arday, under Clause 1 (accuracy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice.
With the same click, Newscord says it will send letters to the editors of all five publications (but people can also opt out of individual actions). It also promises to file a complaint with The Guardian, which is self-regulated.
Its complaints relate to stories it claims were run at a time when the allegations against Arday “remained unadjudicated”, including The Spectator article headlined: “The fantastical truth about Jason Arday”. It also claimed The Spectator wrote 21 stories about Arday, a high-profile academic, in the space of 21 days.
Complaints about Times coverage included the way it presented his resignation letter as AI generated. The story referenced that he “appears to have used artificial intelligence” while the headline caveated it as “detection tools suggest”.
The platform also objected to a Sun headline describing Arday as “plagiarism prof”. Arday had accepted errors in his work but denied plagiarism. Telegraph headlines cited included calling Arday “Cambridge’s diversity poster boy” and “Cambridge fantasist”.
More than 188,000 emails have been sent in the campaign so far, according to Newscord.
But, IPSO prefers complaints to be filed with it directly and says they must all be verified as having come from a human.
In response to complaints generated about the Harriman coverage, IPSO said at the time: “In many instances, we received multiple complaints about the same coverage, apparently submitted by the same person, that differ in their wording. We are uncertain as to whether the complainants involved saw copies of the complaints as they were submitted. It appears that these complaints may have been generated using artificial intelligence.
“As we have begun processing the complaints, we have received objections from members of the public that they did not understand at the time of submission that their data would be shared with us and did not consent to this.
“Because of these concerns, we have written to the Information Commissioner’s Office to inform them of this chain of events, explain the steps we have taken to ensure compliance with our data protection obligations, and seek further guidance on handling complaints which may have been generated using artificial intelligence, and where the complainant may not be fully aware of the content of the complaint that has been submitted on their behalf or how their data would be processed. We have written to all who submitted complaints through this platform to ensure they have appropriate information about how their data will be processed by IPSO.”
Media law expert David Banks noted that the “general thrust” of many complaints about the coverage is the sheer quantity of stories and that this amounted to harassment.
“I’m not sure that the Code of Practice, which is enforced by IPSO, addresses such a situation.”
The Good Law Project has begun a campaign for an inquiry into the press and Arday’s death, calling it a “direct, foreseeable and foreseen result of press harassment” in a letter signed by public figures such as Labour MP Diane Abbott, The Odyssey actor Himesh Patel, and Misan Harriman. A petition has received more than 88,000 signatures at the time of writing.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has refused to be drawn on a potential inquiry so far. A No. 10 spokesperson said on Monday: “I would just reiterate the PM’s point that this is a moment for reflection, and we should not lose sight of the people at the heart of this, who are Jason’s family and loved ones.
“But what I would say is that obviously in due course the usual processes will take place, so that could involve, for example, an inquest. So it would be right for us to let those processes conclude.”
Pressed on whether decisions about a potential inquiry would not be made until after the inquest has finished, the official said: “I think I would just reiterate that the Prime Minister’s stance on this is that it’s a moment for reflection and for focus on Jason’s family, and it’s not for me or the Government to make judgments on the specific details at this stage.”
Labour MP Dawn Butler has separately written to IPSO chief executive Charlotte Dewar saying the case “goes far beyond the standard complaints process”.
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