From mid-August of this year, the capitalist media was full of one name: Professor Jason Arday, the sociologist who had made history in 2023 as Cambridge University’s youngest Black professor. Following an absolutely relentless racist media hounding, Arday was tragically found dead at his home in London on 14 August. He leaves behind a family and two young children.
By Georgia Wilkinson and Claire Laker-Mansfield
But why did the latest battle in the culture war focus on the career of one university lecturer? The initial impetus for the story was a blog post by far-right ‘academic’ Nathan Cofnas. Cofnas, a proponent of ‘race realism’ (a polite way to say ‘white supremacism’) was sacked from his Cambridge role in 2024 for his openly racist views. He has argued that true meritocracy would see Black people removed from all positions of seniority, and that Black people are inherently less intelligent than white people. It was his claim to have found multiple instances of plagiarism in Professor Arday’s work that the mainstream media picked up and ran with. Cofnas also raised questions about some of Professor Arday’s backstory and personal achievements.
Racist feeding frenzy
This helped spark a kind of ‘feeding frenzy’, where journalists churned out one hit piece after another raking over Jason Arday’s life. This was despite the fact that he was neither a politician nor even a widely-known public figure. Superficially similar stories – such as allegations that the then Chancellor Rachel Reeves significantly embellished her CV and plagiarised in her book – attracted a tiny fraction of the coverage. Yet she held the second most powerful political position in the country!
In contrast, nearly 250 pieces were written about Jason Arday in three weeks, with reams of column inches, multiple front pages and hours of television coverage dedicated to destroying his credibility. Supposedly serious ‘liberal’ media outlets such as The Guardian joined in – so did the BBC. Even the allegedly left-wing Novara Media got involved, echoing right-wing talking points. Many of the stories being churned out were based on anecdotal evidence, and contained carefully worded but sinister insinuations and unproven allegations. The intensity and viciousness of the pile on was such that, just before Jason Arday’s death, Nathan Cofnas laughed and boasted with right-wing historian David Starkey that they were finally enjoying “vengeance”.
Unfounded allegations
This all went ahead in spite of the fact that an investigation into the alleged plagiarism by Jason Arday had already been carried out by the university where he completed his PhD thesis. The outcome of this was that, while some referencing errors were found (partly as a result of inadequate supervision), the investigation did not support the allegations of plagiarism or any serious wrongdoing. But this fact did not prevent endless discussion about the issue, in a way that often implied his academic work and career were not just flawed but potentially fraudulent.
Professor Arday was diagnosed with autism and global development delay as a child. He was unable to speak until the age of 11 and unable to properly read and write until 18. Both of these medical conditions have been widely questioned. In reality, knowledge that Jason Arday had various significant disabilities should have been a reason for journalists to proceed cautiously in pursuing this story, taking account of his clear vulnerabilities. Indeed, it now emerges that news outlets including The Guardian were warned that Professor Arday was struggling mentally following his resignation from his role at Cambridge. But these warnings were ignored. 180 stories were published about Jason Arday after he had resigned from his job. What possible ‘public interest’ did this coverage serve?
Duty of care
Cambridge University also has significant questions to answer. As his employer, Cambridge had a duty of care to Jason Arday. Despite the previous investigation by Liverpool John Moores University, where he achieved his doctorate, under pressure Cambridge announced its intent to conduct a further investigation covering both his qualification and appointment. Professor Arday resigned on 5 August as media attention continued to build. In a previous interview with the Times, he stated: “There has been, since I arrived at Cambridge, a very well orchestrated and co-ordinated campaign to unseat me from my position.” With the assistance of the capitalist press, this campaign was ultimately successful.
When subjected to a mixture of extremely harsh scrutiny and straightforward smears, almost anyone can be presented in a very negative light. Especially following Jason Arday’s death, more and more information is emerging suggesting that – while sometimes extraordinary – most of the claims he was reported to have made about his own life were true. Even if he may have been guilty of some exaggeration or embellishment (something almost all autobiographies surely contain) this is really not the point. White academics who have committed plagiarism, fraud, sexual harassment and other crimes on a much greater scale than any Arday has ever been accused of never received even a fraction of the press attention dedicated to taking down one of a tiny number of senior Black academics in Britain. This was entirely about race.
The tragic outcome of this media hounding was horrifyingly predictable. There was the ferocity with which both the media and even many colleagues in the field turned on Professor Arday. There was the crowing tone of reporting which implied his success was ‘tokenistic’, a sign of the ‘woke times’ when race predominates over talent. There was the insistence that Jason Arday’s appointment was a symptom of diversity policy besting sense in one of England’s most prestigious institutions. Kehinde Andrews, Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, aptly summed things up when he said Professor Arday was the victim of a “smear campaign” that was “as predictable as it is baseless”.
Union response needed
Cambridge University has defended its position both in the decision to appoint Professor Arday and the mental health support they provided during the scandal itself. Trade unions organising academic workers in Higher Education should now launch a campaign demanding the university takes full responsibility for its failure to defend Arday and ensure his wellbeing.
Rightly, vigils for Jason Arday have been organised across the country. Up to 30,000 people attended the biggest of these, held in Trafalgar Square. Public figures, academics and campaigners have also initiated a petition calling for a public inquiry into the press harassment, which has also led to other deaths in similar circumstances. Socialist Alternative supports these calls, but we also cannot trust that a speedy, transparent and democratic inquiry will be carried out by the capitalist and racist British state. We need a genuinely independent inquiry, led by those directly affected by our billionaire press – including those close to Jason Arday, anti-racist campaigners and trade unions in education.
Build a mass anti-racist movement
These events underline that we need to build a huge fighting, working-class anti-racist movement to take on the capitalist media and establishment politicians. The hounding of a Black academic to his death is part of a context in Britain where open racism is becoming increasingly ‘mainstreamed’ by capitalist parties of all colours, as well as in public discussion more broadly. Amid pogroms, riots and the rise of the far right, the workers’ movement has an absolute duty to step up and help lead the fightback against this. The solidarity upon which the strength and power of our class rests is at stake.
Racism is deeply rooted in capitalist society – which in Karl Marx’s words emerged as a system “dripping from head to toe” in the blood of the slave trade. Malcom X was right when he said “you cannot have capitalism without racism”. Only a socialist society, founded on the solidarity of the multi-racial, multi-gendered working class, with democratic public ownership over the biggest monopolies , including those in the media – would be able to lay the foundation for ending racist division and hatred once and for all.
