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American academic who accused late Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism suspended from his university

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 679 words · By Chris Bradford
Institutional accountability DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in Academia Academic Integrity
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What to know about Institutional accountability

American academic who accused late Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism suspended from his university See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 13
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left14%
Center72%
Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

American academic who accused late Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism suspended from his university See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google An American academic who accused former Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarizing his thesis before the educator quit his job and was later found dead has been suspended from his role at a Belgian university.

Common ground

Nathan Cofnas, a postdoctoral researcher in Ghent University’s philosophy and moral sciences department, said Thursday he had been suspended – less than a month after he also claimed that Arday was appointed by the esteemed English institution “explicitly to…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Selective Omission: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/21/world-news/belgian-university-academic-nathan-cofn…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Selective Omission 60% confidence
Deliberately leaving out important context or facts that would change interpretation.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing selective omission helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7
schedule Pending 3
verified Verified By Reference 1
info Single Source 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
schedule
Claim 1: “He listed working at Durham University as an honorary professor in the sociology department.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 2: “the university’s rector, Petra de Sutter... formerly a member of the European Parliament for Belgium’s Green Party”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms Petra De Sutter was elected rector of Ghent University in April 2025 and is a member of the Groen (Green) party. While the claim mentions European Parliament, Wikipedia confirms her role as Deputy Prime Minister and member of Groen; her political background is well-documented.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sara Matthieu (born 21 May 1981) is a Belgian politician for Groen who has been serving as a member of European Parliament for Belgium since 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Matthieu
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ghent University (Dutch: Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent_University
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Petra De Sutter (born 10 June 1963) is a Belgian gynaecologist and politician who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium from 2020 to 2025. Following her term, she was elected rector of Ghent …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra_De_Sutter
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “Cofnas, also a former Cambridge academic”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including The Guardian and web search results, identify Nathan Cofnas as a former Cambridge scholar/academic.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ghent University (Dutch: Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent_University
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jason Atta Kwei Arday (9 May 1985 – 14 August 2026) was a British academic and a professor of sociology of education. He joined the faculty of the University of Cambridge in 2023, becoming the younges…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Arday
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nathan Cofnas (born 1987) is an American postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University in Belgium. He is known for controversies surrounding his advocacy of scientific racism. Cofnas earned a doctorate …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Cofnas
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “Cofnas told how he ran Arday’s PhD philosophy thesis through the plagiarism-detection tool “Copyleaks.” It found striking similarities with a thesis published by Paula Zwozdiak-Myers, who was studying at Brunel University in June 2009.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Cofnas used Copyleaks to find similarities between Arday's thesis and a 2009 thesis by Paula Zwozdiak-Myers of Brunel University.
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web search NEUTRAL — One prominent example involved a 2009 doctoral dissertation by Paula Zwozdiak-Myers, a reader in education at Brunel University London. Cofnas argued that sections of Arday's thesis reproduced wording…
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/ex-cambridge-sc…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jason Arday. It found striking similarities with a thesis published by Paula Zwozdiak-Myers, who was studying at Brunel University in June 2009.
https://dnyuz.com/2026/08/21/belgian-academic-who-accused-la…
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web search NEUTRAL — Update: Jason Arday Accuser Suspended From University Amid Discrimination Investigation Following Professor’s Death.In the article, Cofnas alleged that Arday copied from a 2009 thesis written by Paula…
https://blackamericaweb.com/2026/08/25/jason-arday-accuser-n…
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Claim 5: “Cambridge bosses said they had launched an investigation after the claims emerged but Arday resigned from his role.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 6: “An American academic who accused former Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarizing his thesis... has been suspended from his role at a Belgian university.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (IBTimes UK, The Guardian, and other news reports) confirm that Nathan Cofnas has been suspended from his post at a Belgian university (Ghent University) following his accusations against Jason Arday.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nathan is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Hebrew verb נָתָן meaning gave (standard Hebrew Natan, Yiddish Nussen/Nosson, Tiberian Hebrew Nāṯān).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_(given_name)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nathan Cofnas (born 1987) is an American postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University in Belgium. He is known for controversies surrounding his advocacy of scientific racism. Cofnas earned a doctorate …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Cofnas
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ghent University (Dutch: Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent_University
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “Nathan Cofnas, a postdoctoral researcher in Ghent University’s philosophy and moral sciences department”
CORROBORATED
The claim is confirmed by Nathan Cofnas's own website, The Guardian, and Wikipedia, stating he is a postdoctoral researcher in the department of philosophy and moral sciences at Ghent University.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ghent University (Dutch: Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent_University
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jason Atta Kwei Arday (9 May 1985 – 14 August 2026) was a British academic and a professor of sociology of education. He joined the faculty of the University of Cambridge in 2023, becoming the younges…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Arday
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nathan Cofnas (born 1987) is an American postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University in Belgium. He is known for controversies surrounding his advocacy of scientific racism. Cofnas earned a doctorate …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Cofnas
+ 4 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “Arday, the youngest black professor at Cambridge, was found unresponsive at his south London home and later pronounced [dead] at 41.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and news reports, confirm Jason Arday died at age 41 after being found unresponsive at his home in south London (Battersea).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jason Atta Kwei Arday (9 May 1985 – 14 August 2026) was a British academic and a professor of sociology of education. He joined the faculty of the University of Cambridge in 2023, becoming the younges…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Arday
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sir Simon Philip Baron-Cohen (born 15 August 1958) is a British clinical psychologist and professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge. He is the director of the universi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Baron-Cohen
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jason Atta Kwei Arday (9 May 1985 - 14 August 2026) was a British academic and a professor of sociology of education. He joined the faculty of the University of Cambridge in 2023, becoming the younges…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Arday
+ 2 more evidence sources
info
Claim 9: “Cofnas, who was fired by the university [Cambridge] in 2024 over controversial blog posts.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results (catalogs and product lists) and does not contain information regarding Cofnas being fired by Cambridge in 2024.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Browse curated free catalogs from hundreds of designer and premium brands. Order print editions for your coffee table or shop the digital pages straight from the cover.
https://www.catalogs.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Discover our extensive product range of more than 3,000 articles for hotel and kitchen and let yourself be inspired.
https://wasgermany.com/en/catalog
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Hier kannst du unseren Hauptkatalog in verschiedenen Sprachen herunterladen: Entdecke unser umfangreiches Produktsortiment aus mehr als 3.000 Artikeln für Hotel und lasse dich inspirieren.
https://wasgermany.com/catalog
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Claim 10: “He claimed he was a visiting professor at Glasgow University, emphatically denied by the Scottish institution.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 11: “He claimed he was a visiting professor at Ohio State University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion — though the school’s DEI office closed in 2025 and school staffers said they had no record of him as an employee”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claim regarding Ohio State University.
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Claim 12: “more than 100 passages in his thesis reportedly appeared to be similar to or lifted from the thesis of Zwozdiak-Myers.”
CORROBORATED
Cross-referenced reports from the NY Post specifically mention that more than 100 passages appeared to be similar to or lifted from Zwozdiak-Myers' thesis.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — more than 100 passages in his thesis appeared to be similar to or lifted from the thesis of Brunel University student Paula Zwozdiak-Myers.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/04/world-news/cambridge-prof-accu…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — An analysis showed more than 100 passages in his thesis reportedly appeared to be similar to or lifted from the thesis of Brunel University student Paula Zwozdiak-Myers.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/us-news/cambridge-professor-ja…
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Claim 13: “Cambridge which celebrated Arday’s appointment as a sociology professor in February 2023.”
CORROBORATED
Wikipedia and The Guardian both confirm Jason Arday was appointed as a professor of sociology of education at Cambridge in 2023.
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web search NEUTRAL — Arday was appointed as professor of sociology of education in 2023 at the relatively young age of 37 and despite a slim track record of research and publications compared with those appointed to simil…
https://www.aol.co.uk/articles/cambridge-dons-demand-account…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jason Atta Kwei Arday (9 May 1985 – 14 August 2026) was a British academic and a professor of sociology of education. He joined the faculty of the University of Cambridge in 2023, becoming the younges…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Arday
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jason Arday was appointed as professor of sociology of education at Cambridge in 2023, and was the university’s youngest black professor. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/14/jason-arday-…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.